use of presenperfect tenses when you get "for x no of years"

[konaabhigna]

Hi,
Could some one help me with this problem

Is it mandatory that perfect tenses need to be used when a construction of type "for 2 years" or so comes in a sentence

If so,Should we use present perfect or present perfect continuous in such a case

Please suggest

Regards,
khushi

[Willy]

Hi,
Could some one help me with this problem

Is it mandatory that perfect tenses need to be used when a construction of type "for 2 years" or so comes in a sentence

If so,Should we use present perfect or present perfect continuous in such a case

Please suggest

Regards,
khushi

I think we can use "for 2 years" with both Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous.

e.g.
I have eaten cookies for 2 years.
To win this election, I have been preparing for 2 years.

[RonPurewal]

Hi,
Could some one help me with this problem

Is it mandatory that perfect tenses need to be used when a construction of type "for 2 years" or so comes in a sentence

If so,Should we use present perfect or present perfect continuous in such a case

Please suggest

Regards,
khushi

i don't know the names of most of these tenses off the top of my head, but, no, you can use this particular construction with all kinds of tenses.
as in the case of all decisions regarding verb tenses, this one depends on the meaning/context of the sentence. here are some examples with different tenses.

* if the cited period of time is over, and now in the past -- normal past tense:
jason was a professional poker player for 2 years.
(... say, from 1996 to 1998)

* if the cited period of time continues up to the present, then has/have VERBed:
i have been married for 3 years.
(i'm still married)

* if the event/activity has occurred regularly during the cited period of time, then has/have VERBed:
I have worked on the forums for 5 years
(... obviously not continuously!)
NOTE: english speakers often use has/have been VERBing instead for this kind of meaning, especially if they are trying to emphasize the skill or proficienciy that they have gained over the cited period of time.
for instance, i have sewn women's dresses for 12 years just implies that sewing women's dresses has been a regular pastime of mine for the last 12 years. on the other hand, i have been sewing women's dresses for 12 years might be used rhetorically to emphasize that i'm really good at it by now (and so might be used in response to something like "are you sure you can sew that kind of thing?", or something like that)

* if the event/activity has actually occupied the entire preceding period of time, then has/have been VERBing:
i have been working on the forums for 3 hours
(= i've actually spent the last 3 hours on the forums)

* if the period of time was continuous up until some specific past moment implied or mentioned in the sentence (rather than continuous up until now)i then had VERBed or had been VERBing.
these usages are exactly analogous to the previous two.
by the time the doorbell rang, i had been working on the forums for 3 hours.
i did not have to undergo the new training program last year, as i had already worked on the forums for 5 years.

* if the period of time hasn't occurred yet, future tense:
kyle will be an apprentice for two years before working on his own as a journeyman.

--

* just to round things out, there are also will have VERBed and will have been VERBing.
gmac has never tested these, so it's not particularly important for you to learn them, but they are exactly analogous to the similar pairs of tenses above, except in that the focal point of the sentence is in the future.

--

[Willy]

Thank you Ron for such a nice explanation. Appreciate it!

[konaabhigna]

thanks a lot ron,a very nice explanation

[tim]

:)