Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Blossom]

Which is correct? "It's been raining all week." Or, "It's rained all week."

Thanks.

[bud]

Both are correct. The first one implies that it is still raining now. I'd say that the second is less of an indication of what the weather is at the moment. Maybe it's still raining. Maybe it is snowing. Maybe it is finally a beautiful day.

Ex.: It's rained all week. Now it's Saturday and take a look outside! Let's go to the beach! (In reality, of course, it has usually been sunny all week, changing to rain on Saturday.)

[Blossom]

Thanks.

I assume that when we say It's been raining this is short for It has been raining. But when we say It's raining it is short for It is raining.

[bud]

Yes, sometimes 's indicates a contraction with "has" and at other times a contraction with "is." The grammar and context tell us which it is.