<p>First run in 1867 and still taking place every summer, the Belmont Stakes, a horse race for thoroughbred three-year-olds, (was)one of the oldest races in the U.S.</p>
<p>a. was
b. is
c. were
d. are
e. has been</p>
<p>I know the answer, but I'd like to see some explanation why it cannot be "e: has been"</p>
<p>ans : b</p>
<p>(E) is wrong because the present perfect tense (which is what “has been” is) means that the action is finished. The horse race is STILL one of the oldest in the U.S. </p>
<p>(E) would be correct if the horse race were no longer one of the oldest.</p>
<p>you wouldn’t say “has been a race.” “has been” can’t refer to the adjective (“oldest”) because the adjective only modifies the noun (“races”). You would say “has been” in a sentence that has a time reference:</p>
<p>“…has been one of the hottest trends this summer”</p>
<p>you would say “has been a trend this summer”</p>
<p>^ That’s not the correct logic.</p>
<p>silverturtle:</p>
<p>Present perfect tense can refer to something that is still ongoing. That isn’t a valid reason for it being incorrect. </p>
<p>ex- She has been going to the doctor since she was a baby.</p>
<p>The clue to the answer is in the introductory participial phrase. The tense in that phrase indicates that the present tense should be used later.</p>
<p>From the Wikipedia article on the present perfect tense: “The word perfect in its name refers to the idea of completion—of being now finished”</p>
<p>sat1prep,</p>
<p>In your example, there were completed actions of going to the doctor. However, the horse race doesn’t have completed, definite sessions of being one of the oldest horse races.</p>
<p>First of all, stop going to Wikipedia for your grammar help.</p>
<p>Second of all, Present perfect tense (has/have past participle) can refer to anything where the time has not been mentioned, or if the time period has not ended.</p>
<p>What? She still continues to go to the doctor.
You said “that the action is finished.” Its not, its a continuing action.</p>
<p>“can refer to anything where the time has not been mentioned”</p>
<p>This is false. The sentence “That woman has been my mom” is logically and, therefore, grammatically false. It is false, just as in the original question, because neither being a mom nor being one of the oldest horse races can be completed in one way and still continue in another, which negates the present perfect as a correct tense when no time is specified. </p>
<p>I did not go to Wikipedia for my grammar help; I referenced it in order to help you understand.</p>
<p>I will now contrast the above with why your example sentence does not prove my point wrong. </p>
<p>“She has been going to the doctor since she was a baby.”</p>
<p>The girl is still going to the doctor but has completed several sessions of going to the doctor. The present perfect tense therefore applies in this case.</p>
<p>Use the present perfect tense for: actions and states that have started in the past and continue into the present.
I have been living here for two years.
-actions and states that occurred a number of times in the past and may occure again in the future,
I have heard that song several times on the radio…
-actions and states that occurred at an unspecified time in the past.
Anna has seen that movie already.</p>
<p>For your example it would have worked if you had said “She has been my mom for two years” ( I think crazybandits reasoning over time reference was correct)</p>
<p>“She has been going to the doctor since she was a baby.”</p>
<p>The girl is still going to the doctor but has completed several sessions of going to the doctor. The present perfect tense therefore applies in this case.</p>
<p>Like i said, started in the past and continues into the future. ONGOING ACTION - not finished.</p>
<p>Additionally, another example would be “I have been living here for two years.”</p>
<p>And again, NOT FINISHED.</p>
<p>'What? She still continues to go to the doctor.
You said “that the action is finished.” Its not, its a continuing action."</p>
<p>You have misapplied that quotation of me. I posted that before you even typed your example and meant it to be applied to the question in post #1. </p>
<p>I have clarified that she has completed the action one sense, but that it is ongoing in another sense. This is inherently the present perfect tense.</p>
<p>“Like i said, started in the past and continues into the future. ONGOING ACTION - not finished.”</p>
<p>Which is in complete agreement with what I wrote and what you quoted.</p>
<p>“I have been living here for two years.” In that scenario the action hasn’t finished in ANY SENSE.</p>
<p>“I have been living here for two years.”</p>
<p>This is using the present perfect progressive and specifies a time, both of which are not present in the contested question.</p>
<p>The sentence “I have lived here” is more applicable to the OP’s question. It’s also wrong.</p>
<p>This was your reasoning in the first reply.</p>
<p>“(E) is wrong because the present perfect tense (which is what “has been” is) means that the action is finished.”</p>
<p>Are you telling me that this statement is correct? Because if you are, and you continue to defend it, I am not even going to bother to try and make you understand.</p>
<p>This is using the present perfect progressive and specifies a time, both of which are not present in the contested question. </p>
<p>You do understand that present perfect progressive refers to the same present perfect tense, right?</p>
<p>Despite what the OP said, your claim that its wrong because the present perfect tense means that the action is finished, is wrong.</p>