Mehrdad
The dog has been sick on the bed..... It means the bed needs cleaning....But can it mean that the dog is sick?
Jul 22, 2019 11:23 AM
Answers · 4
6
The word 'sick' can have various meanings, depending on the variety of English which you are using. It's important not to confuse these two meanings: My dog is sick, so I'm going to take him to the vet's = 'He is unwell' ---> stative verb This is how a AmE speaker of English would use the adjective 'sick'. My dog is sick every time he goes in the car = 'He vomits' ---> dynamic verb This is a British English usage of the verb phrase 'be sick'. Your sentence ("The dog has been sick on the bed" = The bed needs cleaning) is an example of the exclusively British English usage. In British English, the collocation 'be+sick' means to vomit. Note that this is a dynamic verb which refers to an ACTION, as opposed to a stative verb which refers to a state. In your example, the speaker is saying that the dog has just vomited on the bed. They are using a present perfect because it is a recent occurrence with a very clear (and unpleasant!) impact on the present situation. They are NOT describing the general state of the dog being unwell - they are telling the listener about a specific event that has just happened. I hope that makes sense.
July 22, 2019
It means that the dog threw up on the bed, so yes, the dog is not well.
July 22, 2019
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