has been

Rashid   Friday, November 26, 2004, 17:36 GMT
what is the difference in the meaning between:
she has been painting the ceiling
she is painting the ceiling

thanks
mjd   Friday, November 26, 2004, 20:30 GMT
"She has been painting the ceiling." (She has been doing for a period of time...for the past week, for the past month, etc.)

"She is painting the ceiling." (She is doing it at the present time).

In this case, these two sentences could be used to convey the same idea. For example:

Dialogue #1

MARY: Why is all of the furniture moved out of the living room?"
JOHN: "The house is a total mess. My mom has been painting the ceiling in here for the past week."

Dialogue #2

MARY: "Why is all of the furniture moved out of the living room?"
JOHN: "My mom is painting the ceiling in here so she doesn't want anything to get ruined."

Although John's statement is in the present in the second dialogue, his mother doesn't necessarily have to be painting that very moment. In the first dialogue John gives a specific time period during which painting has been going on. In the second, he doesn't.