Speak Better English with Harry | Episode 48

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• 00:10

  Hi there.

• 00:10

  This is Harry.

• 00:11

  And welcome back to our english podcast, where I'm trying to help you understand english grammar, english grammar rules, and try to help you to speak and perhaps write better English for your communication.

• 00:25

  Okay, so the next sentence I have for you is, again, on political issues.

• 00:31

  This is actually a story about italian politics, just for a change, going around Europe.

• 00:36

  And recently the italian prime minister resigned, and now the two parties, or two parties, have come together again to try and form a government, and it looks like it will be accepted.

• 00:50

  Okay, so here's the first reading.

• 00:52

  The two parties, traditionally staunch rivals, have been holding tense talks following the collapse of the previous coalition government last week.

• 01:05

  Okay, so two parties have come together.

• 01:08

  They're two parties from different ends of the political spectrum, so they've different ideologies.

• 01:14

  But in an effort to try and prevent a political crisis, another political crisis in Italy, they have come together and have had difficult negotiations, but appear to have found some grounds for agreement where they can form a coalition.

• 01:33

  And a coalition is a combination of one or more parties to form a government.

• 01:39

  Okay, so let me read it a second time.

• 01:42

  The two parties, traditionally staunch rivals, have been holding tense talks following the collapse of the previous coalition government last week.

• 01:55

  Okay, so in terms of grammar here, we've got a really good example of the present perfect continuous.

• 02:03

  Have been holding tense talks.

• 02:08

  Have been holding present perfect continuous.

• 02:11

  So that suggests that it is something that is ongoing.

• 02:15

  Okay.

• 02:15

  It started sometime recently in the past.

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