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he has been late vs he was late

Both sentences are grammatically correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'He has been late' refers to a continuous action that started in the past and is still relevant in the present. 'He was late' refers to a specific past event when someone arrived after the expected time.
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Explained by Michele A.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 08, 2024 • 19630 views

he has been late

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate a continuous action that started in the past and is still relevant in the present.

This phrase is used to describe a situation where someone has a history of being late, or when the lateness is still affecting the present. It implies a repeated or ongoing behavior.

Examples:

  • He has been late to every meeting this week.
  • She has been late for work every day this month.
  • They have been late for the past three appointments.
  • Feb 15, 2024 ... AITAH for turning off the WiFi while my roommate was streaming because he has been late on rent? So, I've got this roommate, let's call him ...
  • Apr 23, 2021 ... He has been late three times. His boss has asked him to attend a class to learn a new hairstyle technique, but he doesn't want to go. What ...
  • Jan 24, 2023 ... He has been late for every communication milestone. Advanced gross and fine motor skills. He is happy to play silly games with anyone but he ...
  • Jack has been very unreliable making loan payments in the past. He has been late on many payments, and completely missed several others.
  • Jun 25, 2021 ... He usually makes minimum payments on his debt and he has been late with three payments in the last year. He wants to buy a new car but was told ...
  • Jun 6, 2020 ... 'He has been late every day this week.' could I write 'He has happened late every day this week.' ? · Danish · English (US).
  • Dec 23, 2018 ... So if he has been late, I assumed you already talked to him but if you have not, it is time to. Don't blindside him by firing him without ...
  • Nov 6, 2015 ... Longest he has been late is 7 days. He doesn't think its a big deal- but we do!!! We ( the remaining 2 renters) dont want to get evicted bc ...

Alternatives:

  • He has a history of being late.
  • He has consistently arrived late.
  • He has shown a pattern of lateness.
  • He has been consistently tardy.
  • He has been habitually late.

he was late

This phrase is correct and commonly used to describe a specific past event when someone arrived after the expected time.

This phrase is used to talk about a single instance of lateness in the past. It refers to a particular moment when someone did not arrive on time.

Examples:

  • He was late for the meeting yesterday.
  • She was late for the bus this morning.
  • They were late for the party last night.
  • Mar 22, 2022 ... What did the cannibal get when he was late to the dinner party? The cold shoulder. Archived post. New comments cannot be posted and votes ...
  • Aug 2, 2020 ... he was late to his concert (aka nap) bc this groupie HAD to have pics in our matching Rolling Stones tees ⚡️ #rocknrollbaby #auntielife.
  • r/LudwigAhgren 1 mo. ago. Last_Room2753. ADMIN MOD. Join. Options. Report. Ludwig explains why he was late to Twitchcon. Clips. Play. Upvote 182
  • Jan 27, 2021 ... 1. He was late because he missed the bus 2. He was late because he HAD missed the bus From my understanding is that the Past Perfect should not be a ...
  • Mar 24, 2019 ... He was late by an hour or so. This is an estimation of the time elapsed. An answer to the query —.
  • Dec 1, 2023 ... 64K likes, 290 comments - davidmbird on December 1, 2023: "“By now, the others would be wondering why he was late, but Silas felt he had a ...
  • Jul 18, 2007 ... "He was late for a very important date." Ok this one is going to take some explaining. This is sort of fanart from the movie "The Last ...
  • Feb 13, 2024 ... Perhaps he was late calling because his dog was sick. The call was shorter than expected when he heard the dog dry-heaving in the next room ...
  • Apr 8, 2021 ... If we wanted to rewrite option to make more sense, and preserve the structure somewhat, we could say "Since he was late, he was marked absent".
  • 4 days ago ... (WTNH) — A Middlefield man arrested for DUI for a second time claimed he was speeding because he was late to a concert, according to Connecticut ...

Alternatives:

  • He arrived after the scheduled time.
  • He failed to be punctual.
  • He missed the beginning of the event due to lateness.
  • He didn't make it on time.
  • He showed up late.

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