Why is present perfect used in this sentence? "Britain’s has been a hot topic this year, thanks to the sharp increase in obesity and diet-related diseases."And how about this: "New figures have been revealed by the BBC which show EastEnders and Holby City attract the largest number of calls to its Action Line service." Is present perfect used in this sentence because some action has left a result? But what is a result in this instance?

Question

Why is present perfect used in this sentence?
"Britain’s <> has been a hot topic this year, thanks to the sharp increase in obesity and diet-related diseases."And how about this: "New figures have been revealed by the BBC which show EastEnders and Holby City attract the largest number of calls to its Action Line service."
Is present perfect used in this sentence because some action has left a result? But what is a result in this instance?

Answer

Because it continues to be a hot topic. You use past tense when a time frame has been completed (Obesity WAS a hot topic in 2010) and present perfect when it continues into today (Obesity HAS BEEN a hot topic... and continues to be)

Answer

Good answers have already been given, but I'll add some grammar points.

Some grammar books list four things that present perfect tense  is about:

1. continuation:  something started in the past and continues till now (your example).
2. result:  some action/even has left a resulting state ("He has lost his wallet").
3. experience:  one has experienced something before ("I have been to France once").
4. completion:  an action/event has been completed ("I have finished my homework").

Answer

The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb.  In your example, present perfect could be used because the topic is about an event or action that happened in the past and continues to be an event or action in the present.  It could be an action that is not yet finished and/or wherein time is not a salient factor.

Answers · 3

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