"has been eaten" vs "has been eating"

Question

"has been eaten" vs "has been eating"

The phrases 'has been eating' and 'has been eaten' are not directly comparable as they serve different purposes. 'Has been eating' is used to indicate an ongoing action performed by the subject, while 'has been eaten' is used to indicate that the subject has been consumed by someone or something. Therefore, the choice between the two depends on whether you want to describe the subject as the doer of the action or as the recipient of the action.

Last Updated: March 23, 2024

Use 'has been eaten' when you want to describe that the subject has been consumed by someone or something. It is formed with the present perfect passive tense of the verb 'to eat'.

Examples:

The cake has been eaten by the children.
All the cookies have been eaten.
The sandwich has been eaten by someone.
The fruit has been eaten by the birds.
The leftovers have been eaten by the dog.

Alternatives:

has been devoured
has been consumed
has been ingested
has been gobbled up
has been wolfed down

Use 'has been eating' when you want to describe an action that started in the past and is still ongoing. It is formed with the present perfect continuous tense of the verb 'to eat'.

Examples:

He has been eating breakfast for the past hour.
She has been eating healthy food lately.
They have been eating at that restaurant every Friday.
The cat has been eating its food all day.
I have been eating more vegetables since I started my diet.

Alternatives:

has eaten
is eating
was eating
will be eating
had been eating

Answer 1

has been eaten

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that the subject has been consumed by someone or something.

Answer 2

has been eating

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate an ongoing action that started in the past and continues to the present.

"has been eaten" vs "has been eating"

has been eaten

has been eating

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