Some more writing questions

Sikorsky
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:51:32 +0000

I disagree.

I think the present perfect continuous emphasizes the pastness of an event, while also denoting that it persists. In the example from your link, “You have been waiting for two hours,” the construction stresses what you have been doing in the recent past.

The present emphasizes current status. That’s the more appropriate emphasis in this instance. For one thing, if the Belmont is currently one of the oldest races for thoroughbreds in the US, it cannot recently have been otherwise; the present implies something about the past in this case. Additionally, the participial phrase “still taking place every summer” makes the present tense more sensible.