Hi, could you please do me a favour and take a look at the sentence below. I think the simple present should be replaced with a present perfect construction. What’s your take on this?
There is a burning desire in my heart to build my own business for more than 20 years.
Wouldn’t it be better to say
For more than 20 years I have wanted to start my own business?[YSaerTTEW443543]
That sentence would be a classic case for using the present perfect.
You could change the tense in the first sentence and leave the burning heart in it:
For more than 20 years, there has been a burning desire in my heart to build my own business.
Using the verb want, I also wouldn’t be suprised to hear a native speaker use the continuous form:
I have been wanting to start my own business for more than 20 years.
Good question. Actually, the sentence is grammatically correct – if what the person is trying to say is he/she wants to spend 20+ years building the company.
I like the sentence with the burning heart in it very much and it’s does sound businesslike. You do need a burning desire if you want to get a business off the ground.[YSaerTTEW443543]