 Kooyeen wrote: |
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I was told to use the present or past perfect in those situations, but I often find the present continuous (even in newspapers).
Kim O'Donnel: This is the first time I'm hearing a negative report.
He is surprised. And he says that hearing reports is happening frequently in his profession.
So when can I use the present continuous?
Sorry, I am not trying to be rude here, but you probably still cannot because you do not feel even when others use it why they use it.
this is the second post I'm writing in this thread
You can if one, some or all these conditions are met and you want to stress it (or them)
- it is not a formal letter or post
- you are excited or you hate or have some other strong feeling about writing posts (surprised maybe)
- this is not going to be your last post written
- you expect something after you finish writing
- you want to tell us more later about the post you are writing
- you want to make difference between writing it and finishing it
- you want to say that you are just about the beginning of the post
- …
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Do not be confused. Nobody said about the grammar. Please, use the present perfect, always. This is just the explanation why people or journalists use it: to express excitement, joy…
If you feel sometimes that way you can use the present continuous. But not before you feel this intention when you read it. Grammatically the rule says the present perfect but when you sell the news - who cares about the grammar? It is an effect that is important far more. And that is why the present continuous is used. It is an exception that is permissible within a style. You'll find many of these in many forms.
Don’t let them confuse you. If you do not feel that the present continuous should be there - do not use it - but now you understand better, I hope, what it means when you read it.
[People who are born with English as their mother tongue are not only the users but also the owners of the language. They all are above the grammar. If sufficiently many of them feel that something is not appropriate or that something is better or useful, the grammar will change.]