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How many times have you seen the news this week?

4/27/2020

 
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How many times have I heard learners of English confuse time and times and new and news? Countless times! Too many times to mention! All the time!  (notice the difference?)  So let’s look at how and when we use these words.

Times or Time?

First look at these common expressions using time and think about their meaning. 

Time and tide wait for no one. (Chaucer 1395) 

Time is money!  (Benjamin Franklin)

Time is the wisest counselor of all. (Pericles)

There is no time like the present.

Time flies when you are having fun!


Time refers to the passing of seconds, minutes, hours and days months and years.  It is uncountable and has no plural form. All the above expressions use the word time in the uncountable form because they are talking about time in general. You all know the question what time is it? (It's 8 o'clock).  But if you want to ask a question about the quantity of time, we use how much. For example:

How much time did you spend on your homework?  Much (not many) is used for uncountable nouns.

                                                        ________________________________

Times, with an ‘s’ has a completely different meaning. It refers to the frequency that something is done. Look at the examples below:

A: How many times have you visited London?
B: Three times. In 1989, 1995 and last year and I’d love to return.
 

A: How many times have you spoken with friends this week?
B: Only once (one time) but I’ve spoken a lot with my family.
 
A: How many times have you clapped outside your house to support people in the healthcare system?
B: Every night!
 
I’ve heard people make a mistake with the word 'time' many times!
 
All the above questions and sentences ask about or refer to the frequency of events. Times is a countable noun with a singular form (time) and a plural form (times). This is how we use it:

1 x  = once (one time)                John has visited New York once (one time).
2 x = twice (two times)              My cat has caught a mouse twice this week (two times).
3 x = three times                        I must have seen this film at least three times.
4 x = four times                          I've asked you four times to tidy your room!

When we ask a question about the quantity or number of times, we say how many times...?
Many 
is used with countable plural nouns (not much). We can also use the question how often…?

 
New vs News 
  
New and news poses a similar problem but the reasons are different.

New is an adjective. The opposite of old. And as you all know, adjectives never have a plural form in English. Look at the examples: 

Peter has got a new job. He is starting in three weeks.
I had to buy two new pairs of glasses this year, because I lost my first pair.
 
News is a noun.  It refers to the facts about world events which are reported on the TV, on the radio or in a newspaper (a paper full of news). It is an uncountable noun but which ends in an ‘s’. The rules for uncountable nouns apply:
  • the word has no plural form
  • the verb is in the singular form
  • the word is preceded by the or some/any  (not: a/an)
  • If you want to make it singular, we add: a piece of ...

The news on the TV is often bad.
I’ve got some news to tell you – Martin and Rosie are getting married.
There was only one piece of news last night that made me laugh. The rest was awful.

 
So now you know the rules, try this exercise. Choose the correct word in brackets in each sentence. The answers are at the bottom.

  1. The last time/times I saw Peter, he was working for an IT company.
  2. How much time/times do you usually spend cooking dinner?
  3. The number of time/times I’ve made the same mistake is incredible!
  4. John announced the new/news last night that he had received a promotion at work.
  5. What time/times did you say that they would arrive?
  6. Hurry up! We don’t have a lot of time/times.
  7. I’ve just bought two new/news books to take on holiday.
  8. We’ve been to that restaurant several time/times. They do great food.
  9. I have to speak in English all the time/times at work at the moment.
  10. Shh. I want to hear the new/news. Can you turn the sound up please?
  11. How many time/times have you used your car in the last month?
  12. What’s your new/news?
 
There is no time like the present to get to grips with this lexical challenge! The next time that you listen to the news, make a new resolution to try and reduce the number of times that you make a mistake with these words!  Good luck!


Answers:     
1. time   2. time   3. times   4. news   5. time   6. time   7. new   8. times   9. time   10. news   11. times   12. news


The Present Perfect: Simple or Continuous?

4/1/2020

 
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Introduction

So if you have read the previous article, you now know everything there is to know about the Present Perfect Simple, but what about the continuous form?
​
I have been reading about the present perfect simple and I think I understand it now.
We have been driving for 4 hours! When will we arrive?
Peter has been learning English since he joined the company.

As with all the continuous tenses, it is formed using the present perfect of the auxiliary be (have/has been) plus the verb in the -ing form (doing).​​ Look at the table below.

I have been living in the UK for 2 years.
We have been working on this problem.
You have been working hard.
You have been receiving a lot of emails.
He/she/it has been waiting for ages.
They have been building a new road.
​The present perfect continuous is used when we are focusing on the action. The present perfect simple is more often used when we are talking about the result. But it’s not quite as easy as that, so let’s compare the two.

Present Perfect Simples vs Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Continuous
  • For an action that has been completed recently (we don’t know when exactly).
 
I’ve finished my email. Let’s go and have lunch. 
  • To emphasise the action we’ve been doing. We don’t know if it’s finished or not.
 
I’ve been repainting the kitchen. 
​
  • Used with verbs that describe short actions (break, start, find, lose, buy, stop, finish etc.)
 
I’ve started a new job !
  • Used with verbs that describe longer actions (learn, study, rain, try, play, read, wait etc.)
 
They’ve been waiting for the bus for ages.
  • To talk about how many things have been completed or how many times the action has happened.
 
We’ve eaten at a restaurant twice this week.
​
  • To talk about how long (duration) something has been happening.
 
​
Our company has been making spare parts for the automobile industry for 30 years.
  • ​Stative verbs are always used in the simple form (know, understand, believe, love etc.) 
​
I have finally understood the question!
I have known Mary for many years.
​
​​​
  • Stative verbs are hardly ever used in the continuous form (know, understand, believe, love etc.) 
​
I have finally understood the question!
(Not: I have been understanding the question)
​
  • To talk about more permanent situations.​
​
We have lived in this house for 20 years.
We haven’t worked together since we were at university.

​
​
  • ​​​To talk about more temporary situations.​
​
Katie has been living with friends in London for the last 2 months.
We’ve been working on this project all year.

​


For verbs which are not followed by a direct object (work, live etc.) you can choose either the present perfect simple, or the present perfect continuous and there is no real difference in meaning. For example: 

I have lived in Lyon for 2 years   or    I have been living in Lyon for 2 years.

But for all the verbs which can be followed by a direct object (read, watch, write etc.) you need to choose between the two forms.

​I have been reading a book all afternoon. (The focus is on the activity)
I have read one book this week.
(The focus is on the completed result).

So that's a summary of the differences between the two present perfect tenses. It's not an easy concept for learners and it takes a long time to get the hang of it. But as always, practice makes perfect! So listen or look out for it next time you are watching a film, reading an article or listening to a radio programme.
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    Philippa Stacey

    Philippa Stacey a fondé Eureka en 2007. Elle vit et enseigne l’anglais aux professionnels en France depuis 1993.
    Eureka est un organisme de formation en langue anglaise certifié et agréé qui intervient essentiellement dans le Nord Isère. 

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