"have you been playing" vs 'have played' ? Hello everybody!I have made a mistake -&nbsp;My answer was&nbsp;The lock on this case is broken. Have you played about it?But correct answer was:&nbsp;The lo

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Alexandr Stal

"have you been playing" vs 'have played' ?

Hello everybody!

I have made a mistake -

My answer was

<ul><li>The lock on this case is broken. Have you played about it?</li></ul>

But correct answer was:

<ul><li>The lock on this case is broken. Have you been playing about it?</li></ul>

Why do we use continuous form here?

I don't care about how long someone “has been playing”. I just ask the fact of “playing”.

PS. Can I say “ playing with it” instead “about it”?

24 janv. 2020 21:08

Commentaires · 6

You said:

"Have you played about it? = started it the past and finished now. It is present perfect."

You have confused two tenses here I think the word about is confusing you in the key.

You have two choices with it/ or about with it and also the word "BEEN" to combine with--> "with it" "about with it".

It is the answer with BEEN that the exercise wanted = "have you been playing about [with] it"

You selected the past = "played" play+ED = the past finished.

"have you played about it" makes no sense.

I think where some words work togetherand others do not is what is confusing you.

"Have you lied about it" = valid sentence using the word lie

"have you danced around it" = valid sentence or expression

"have you cancelled it" = valid sentence

"have you stopped it" = valid sentence

"have you taken it" =valid sentence

"have you seen it" = valid sentence

"have you played it [yet/before etc]" = valid sentence played needs a collocation to follow it to sound natural.

in my experience those type of books and exercises do not help self learners, unless they have the help of a qualified teacher, or a component community teacher or perhaps a component friend or language partner.

The very same thing applies to those type of books and exercise in my second language I am struggling to grasp. Tackling them on my own is of no value or help.

25 janvier 2020

In the US, we wouldn't say "playing about with it" just "playing with it"

Both answers are possible in the US (without the "about"), but they have very different meanings.

The lock on this case is broken.

Have you been playing with it? (Did you just break the lock by playing with it? Here, 'playing' is doing something to the lock that you shouldn't have been doing. Maybe a parent is saying this to their child.)

The lock on this case is broken. (Remember, it broke on our trip last year.)

Have you played with it? (In this case, 'played" would mean trying to fix the lock. Maybe the lock isn't that broken and we can use it for another trip. You could also say "have you tried playing with it?" )

Yikes. What a question.

24 janvier 2020

But I use PRESENT perfect

I have you played = present perfect.

<I was busy...> I had not played = past perfect.

So far

Have you played about it? = started it the past and finished now. It is present perfect.

24 janvier 2020

Yes you did make a mistake the question wanted you to use the "present perfect simple" or the "present perfect continuous" so the correct answer is as per the key you showed me in the link.

You answered with the "past perfect tense." --> Have you played about it? started in the past and ended in the past.

"have you been playing -->with it /about with it" = correct: it is always a good idea to show exercise links, because I have seen it so many times where learners post the wrong question and therefore get wrong answers.

You can say what you suggested but the exercise was expecting you to use "have been" and not "have you played" two different tenses.

24 janvier 2020