For each situation, ask a question using the word in brackets:
You see somebody fishing by the river. You ask:
(catch/any fish)
I've written: Have you been catching any fish?
But the correct answer was: Have you catched any fish?
My reasoning was that the man was still fishing so for me the important thing was the activity of catching fish. By the answer i think the book was thinking that the important thing was the result of catching fish so it has used the present perfect.
Could you please explain me how have i to think in this situation or similar? And also some advice to detect when i have to use the present perfect or the present perfect continuon.
Thank you
Alessandro
You would use the present perfect simple in this situation:
Have you caught any fish?
No, I haven't caught anything yet.
We use the simple form because we are focusing on the RESULT, not on the activity itself or on its duration. Here's another example:
I've been baking all morning = activity
I've baked five cakes = result
You would say 'Have you caught any fish?' or, since the fact that anything he caught would have been a fish and that is therefore implicit (presumed), you could say 'Have you caught anything?'
In general, you would use the present perfect in a situation like this.
