There is a subtle but important difference between “have been” and “has been.” Although both phrases can be used to describe past actions, “has been” is more commonly used to describe something that is still happening. For example, you might say “John has been married for five years,” to indicate that he is still married. Alternatively, you could say “John has been divorced for five years,” to indicate that his marriage ended in the past. In most cases, it’s best to use “has been” when speaking about something that is continuing in the present.
What is Have Been?
Have been is the present perfect tense of the verb “to be.” It is used to describe actions that began in the past and continue into the present. For example, “I have been studying for my exams.” Have been is also used to describe actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past. For example, “I have seen that movie three times.” Have been can also be used to describe habitual actions, as in “I have been going to bed early recently.” In all cases, Have been is followed by a verb in the present participle form (i.e., -ing). Have been is conjugated as follows: I have been, you have been, he/she/it has been, we have been, they have been. Have Been is often shortened to ‘ve Been in spoken English.
What is Has Been?
Has been is the present perfect tense of the verb to be. It is used to describe an action that has already been completed. Has been is formed by combining the present tense of the verb to be (is or are) with the past participle of the main verb. For example, the present perfect tense of the verb to eat is has eaten. Has been can also be used as an auxiliary verb to form the passive voice. In this case, it is followed by a past participle. For example, The plate has been broken by me. Has been is often used with time expressions such as all day, since, and for. It can also be used with already, yet, and just.
Has been is not typically used in affirmative sentences with I or we because it implies that something has happened to us in the past that is still relevant in the present. However, it can be used in negative sentences with I or we. For example, I haven’t been feeling well lately. Has been is also not typically used in questions unless it is followed by a time expression such as since or for. For example, Have you been waiting long? To sum up, has been indicates that an action was started and completed at some point in the past and that its effects are still relevant in the present.
Difference between Have Been and Has Been
Have been and has been are both in the present perfect tense, which is used to describe an event that occurred in the past but is relevant to the present. Have been is used for the plural form, while has been is used for the singular form. For example, if you wanted to say that you have been to Italy, you would use have been because you are referring to yourself (plural). However, if you wanted to say that your friend has been to Italy, you would use has been because you are referring to your friend (singular). In short, have been is used for plural subjects and has been is used for singular subjects.
Conclusion
Have you been using the correct verb tense when describing past actions? If not, now is a good time to start. The have been and has been verbs can be confusing for English learners, so we’ve provided an explanation of the difference between these two tenses. When it comes to writing accurately about what has happened in your past, make sure you use the right verb tense.
