# Poll on Grammaticality vs. Acceptability of a Pair of Sentences **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581 "2023-04-12T13:58:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/1 "2023-04-12T13:58:23Z")
Considering the following two sentences… 1. _I’ve played football for 2 years._ 2. _I’ve been playing football for 2 years._ … would you say that : _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/1))_ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/2 "2023-04-12T14:27:15Z")
I’m one of the (so far majority) who say that they are both grammatical, but mean slightly different things: “I’ve been playing…” implies a greater degree of continuity than “I’ve played…”. “I’ve played…” could be just a game here and there, while “I’ve been playing…” probably means most of the games in the season. Though the difference is probably small, over a span of only two years. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/3 "2023-04-12T14:55:34Z")
“I’ve played” could also indicate it was a finite practice, whereas “I’ve been playing” (imperfect, or continuous) indicates something continuing, possibly up to the present (and likely into the future). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/4 "2023-04-12T15:04:25Z")
True; if I was on the JV squad, but just failed to make the cut for varsity, I might say “I’ve played for two years”, but I probably wouldn’t say “I’ve been playing for two years”. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/5 "2023-04-12T15:09:31Z")
Someone tells me something about the second-grade curriculum–“Kids at that age aren’t supposed to learn about place value”–that I think is wrong. I challenge them, and they say, “Hey, I’ve been teaching second grade for two years!” as a way to establish their credibility. Their grammatical construction means that they’re currently teaching second grade. I respond, “It’s been awhile, but I’ve taught second grade for three years,” as a way to establish my own credibility. My construction does not mean I’m currently teaching second grade. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/6 "2023-04-12T16:45:11Z")
Out of context, both are grammatical and acceptable. In a particular context they might convey different meanings. Note that everybody here has been adding context because no opinion about them is meaningful without that context. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/7 "2023-04-12T18:20:58Z")
That’s interesting because to me, the second one is perfectly grammatical but meaningless. The way I see it, it implies that the action has been going on non-stop for the past 2 years, which is physically impossible. I’d only use the first one “in the real world”. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/8 "2023-04-12T18:23:55Z")
They both mean the same thing in my idiolect. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/9 "2023-04-12T18:41:17Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I respond, “It’s been awhile, but I’ve taught second grade for three years,” as a way to establish my own credibility. My construction does not mean I’m currently teaching second grade. Interesting. In that case, I would say “I taught second grade for three years.” Simple past. To me, putting “have” in there means that you are still teaching, regardless of whether the verb form is “been teaching” or “taught.” “Have” implies the present perfect progressive to me. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/10 "2023-04-12T18:47:19Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > The way I see it, it implies that the action has been going on non-stop for the past 2 years, which is physically impossible. I don’t see that. The past imperfect is a regular formation. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/11 "2023-04-12T18:48:10Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > past imperfect … progressive. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/12 "2023-04-12T18:50:17Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > > I respond, “It’s been awhile, but I’ve taught second grade for three years,” as a way to establish my own credibility. My construction does not mean I’m currently teaching second grade. > > Interesting. In that case, I would say “I taught second grade for three years.” Simple past. I wondered about that too. In that situation, “I taught…” sounds more natural than “I’ve taught…”; but I’m not sure I understand all the nuances. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/13 "2023-04-12T18:55:49Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > That’s interesting because to me, the second one is perfectly grammatical but meaningless. > > The way I see it, it implies that the action has been going on non-stop for the past 2 years, which is physically impossible. I’d only use the first one “in the real world”. The second construction could have that meaning, except for the fact that that meaning is impossible. One must therefore interpret it in a way that is possible. Of course, there are situations where what is possible, and therefore how one should interpret such a construction, are ambiguous. “I’ve been in this house for two years” could mean that I moved in two years ago, and have been going about normal business since then, or it could mean that I’ve been quarantining to an extreme and having food and other necessities delivered and working exclusively online. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/14 "2023-04-12T19:06:25Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > That’s interesting because to me, the second one is perfectly grammatical but meaningless. > > The way I see it, it implies that the action has been going on non-stop for the past 2 years, which is physically impossible. I’d only use the first one “in the real world”. Not at all. The second version is extremely common when describing an activity that is still ongoing (still routinely playing football). The first version is more ambiguous. If the speaker means that they played for two years but are no longer doing so, they should drop the “have”. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/15 "2023-04-12T19:33:37Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Not at all. The second version is extremely common when describing an activity that is still ongoing (still routinely playing football). The first version is more ambiguous. If the speaker means that they played for two years but are no longer doing so, they should drop the “have”. As I understand, in hyper-correct King’s English, the first sentence (a Present Perfect Simple) means: "At some point during my life so far, I spent two years playing football. (Implies that I stopped, at least as a regular activity, but also that I could resume the activity at some point in the future). The second sentence (a Present Perfect Continuous) implies that I started playing football 2 years ago, and haven’t stopped - am still playing it with some regularity. In North American English, at least in spoken / vernacular dialects, the first sentence can indeed be more ambiguous.It may be used even if you haven’t stopped regularly playing football. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/16 "2023-04-12T20:01:43Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Interesting. In that case, I would say “I taught second grade for three years.” Simple past. To me, putting “have” in there means that you are still teaching, regardless of whether the verb form is “been teaching” or “taught.” Would “I have taught second grade for a total of three years” sound more natural to you? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/17 "2023-04-12T20:11:22Z")
Again, only if you were still teaching it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/18 "2023-04-12T22:37:44Z")
This is somewhat ambiguous. Since you were responding to @PatrickLondon’s “past imperect,” your use of progressive implies “past progressive”. I’d say your second sentence is better described as in the [present perfect progressive tense](https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/present_perfect_progressive_tense.htm), “A continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present.” That’s completely legitimate grammatically and in the proper context. Present Perfect Continuous is not given on Grammar Monster but other sites say that it is a synonym for Present Perfect Progressive, BTW, so I am agreeing with @themapleleaf. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/19 "2023-04-12T23:00:14Z")
Just what I was going to say. There may be a question about whether the guy who said “I’ve played” will continue to play, but less so about the “I’ve been playing” guy (though context will be a factor as always with language). ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581/20 "2023-04-12T23:05:13Z")
Speaking very strictly no two linguistic constructions mean _exactly the same thing_. But those two phrases are so close I ignored any slight aromas, and said they are the same. The first one (“I’ve played”) is a slightly better substitute for “I played football for two years”, but if that’s what you mean to say then just say that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-on-grammaticality-vs-acceptability-of-a-pair-of-sentences/982581.md?page=2)