A: Why is the bill cheaper than before?
B: Because we've been using less electricity.
Present Perfect Simple or Continuous?
Review
In Grammar 8-1, we studied that the Present Perfect Simple is often used to describe finished past actions that relate to the present:
The control tower lightgun has turned green. You can go!
The VOR building has been painted red and white checkerboard. It looks much better now.
It's much quieter in the control tower now that I've turned down the speaker on frequency 121.7.
In this usage, English speakers are focusing on the present result of the completed action:
- The control tower lightgun has turned green. You can depart!
- Present result = The lightgun is green now.
- The VOR building has been painted red and white checkerboard. It looks much better now.
- Present result = Now the VOR building is red and white checkerboard.
- It's much quieter in here now that I've turned down the speaker on frequency 121.7.
- Present result = The speaker for frequency 121.7 isn't loud anymore.
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