why this sentence use"has been"?
But in the last 100 years,it has been the working man that was the backbone of the nation.

why this sentence use "has been",can I say "it was the working man that was the backbone of the nation",if yes,what's the difference?

Question

why this sentence use"has been"?
But in the last 100 years,it has been the working man that was the backbone of the nation.

why this sentence use "has been",can I say "it was the working man that was the backbone of the nation",if yes,what's the difference?

Answer

Hello Sophie,
There are two different tenses here and they make a slight difference to meaning.
If you say 'it has been the working man' it means up until now (it may also continue!) and it has caused results in the present
'It was the working man' means that  you are now going to say something different as the action is finished. You would also normally follow this phrase with a word like 'but'.

Hope this helps

Bob