What is the difference between these sentences:
The motor has started.
The motor has been started.
- The Motor has been starting.
Thank you.
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1 Answer
The question is about context and which of those sentences people would choose in particular circumstances.
Your first example:
The motor has started
tells us that the motor, which was not running, is now running. It gives us no indication of why. Someone may have started it (as in your 2nd example) or it may have kicked in unexpectedly. So if you were at supper when the motor was supposed to be off and you suddenly heard it start, that's what you might say. The motor has started; I wonder why?
Your second example:
The motor has been started
tells us that somebody (or some agency, possibly a computer programme) has started the motor. That's to say, it didn't start of its own accord.
Your third example:
The motor has been starting
is the kind of statement that you would make if the motor had been playing up. You might say:
The motor has been starting and cutting out again
or
The motor has been starting intermittently
It's something you might say when you want to draw attention to the (irregular) manner or timing of the motor starting on more than one occasion.
answered Mar 20, 2018 at 11:01
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Now can I say the " Show has been started" at the first moment the show started? Mar 20, 2018 at 12:16
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If somebody has started the show, yes! (Note the in front of show) Mar 20, 2018 at 16:05
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Could you please tell me more..... what if I enter the cinema to see a movie or I find the movie has begun or .... Mar 20, 2018 at 16:15
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@HayderAmily We would usually say the movie has begun/started rather than has been started. We say has started for movies, plays, operas, concerts. We say has been started when we want to emphasise that somebody has set something in motion. Mar 21, 2018 at 19:38
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What about "Edgar has been depressed ever since the fall of the House of Usher." Mar 22, 2018 at 10:16