http://www.englishforums.com/English/GeneralEnglishGrammarQuestions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here.enCSMOD (Build: 3273.32735)http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmjm/post.htm#57676Fri, 26 Nov 2004 20:57:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:57676paco20040http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmjm/post.htm#57676http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-57676.xmlCJ Sensei <br /> <br />THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! <br /> <br />pacohttp://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmjl/post.htm#57675Fri, 26 Nov 2004 20:52:52 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:57675CalifJim1http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmjl/post.htm#57675http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-57675.xmlYour two bold-face examples are cast in very good, idiomatic English! <br />Note that some speakers do interchange the two in the present perfect, but the simple past with "lately" is avoided by everyone.http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmjz/post.htm#57669Fri, 26 Nov 2004 19:57:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:57669paco20042http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmjz/post.htm#57669http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-57669.xmlCJ Sensei <br /> <br />Thank you. I think I got somewhat of the difference between 'recently' and 'lately'. <br /> <STRONG>I have been to San Francisco recently. </STRONG>[NOT lately] <br /> <STRONG>What have you been up to lately? </STRONG>[NOT recently] <br />Am I right? <br /> <br />PS. Sensei means Teacher in Japanese. <br /> <br />paco <br />http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmbw/post.htm#57536Fri, 26 Nov 2004 03:37:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:57536CalifJim3http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/lmbw/post.htm#57536http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-57536.xmlActivities and periodic action (particularly in one of the perfect tenses, including perfect progressives) go better with "lately". Punctual events go better with "recently". In fact, in a sort of impressionistic way, "lately" is imperfective and "recently" is perfective. Hence, "lately" usually means "within the most recent period". <br /> <br />Neither goes with the present tense very well. <br /> <br />He coughs lately. <img src="/emoticons/emotion-7.gif" alt="Tongue Tied [:S]" /> Recently she is studying more than usual. <img src="/emoticons/emotion-7.gif" alt="Tongue Tied [:S]" /> <br /> <br />In the simple past, it's "recently". <br /> <br />He returned from Europe recently. [NOT "lately"] <br />He recently won an award for poetry. [NOT "lately"] <br />I recently lived in Dallas. [NOT "lately"] <br /> <br />In the present perfect, it's either one, depending whether an activity or event is the focus, the progressive tense focusing on the activity. <br /> <br />I have recently read "Romeo and Juliet". <br />I have been reading "Romeo and Juliet" lately. (or "recently") <br /> <br />All in all, the most typical uses are Past + recently and Present Perfect Progressive + lately. <br /> <br />I'm sure there are other patterns that my quick brain sort may have missed, but that's why we have lots of moderators! <br /> <br /> <img src="/emoticons/emotion-1.gif" alt="Smile [:)]" />http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/llqn/post.htm#57507Fri, 26 Nov 2004 01:10:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:57507paco20044http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/llqn/post.htm#57507http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-57507.xmlHi teachers! <br /> <br />I too have a question about the difference in using 'lately' and 'recently'. My grammar book says 'lately' (these days also) is used in the sentences of present tense and present perfect tense and 'recently' is in those of past tense and present perfect. My question is whether 'lately' and 'recently' are always interchangeable in the case of present perfect sentences. For example <br /> (1) What have you been up to (lately)/(recently)? <br /> (2) I have only (lately)/(recently) returned from America. <br />Do you use both 'lately' and 'recently' in these sentences without any discrimination? Or have you any preference about their usage? <br /> <br />paco <br />http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/ldbn/post.htm#54940Fri, 12 Nov 2004 14:12:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:54940Mister Micawber5http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/ldbn/post.htm#54940http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-54940.xml<br />'She's had a lot of bad luck lately/recently' are interchangeable as far as I'm concerned. 'These days' might be better incorporated into the present perfect sense ('sense', I said, not 'tense') by adding a few adjectives: 'She's had a lot of bad luck these last few days'. 'These days' more often means 'now' in the larger sense, and appears with present simple or the progressive tenses: 'These days we see a lot of homeless cats in the park'; 'I've been seeing a lot of her these days'; 'I'm not studying so much these days'. <br /> <br />http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/ldrm/post.htmFri, 12 Nov 2004 12:04:25 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:54922Jandi6http://www.englishforums.com/English/LatelyRecentlyTheseDays/ldrm/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-54922.xmlHello, teachers! <br /> <br />Are these all natural, or is there any preference? <br /> <br />- She's had a lot of bad luck [lately, recently, these days]. <br /> <br />Thank you very much. <br />Peace! <br />