Would it change the general nuance of the sentence if I say "was" instead of "has been"?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
It would change the tense of the sentence! And so it would change the context a bit. This is the "present perfect continuous" form: "has/have + been + participle". It implies that something started in the past and is still happening in the present. He says "has been" as he is still living through that day! If he used "was", it could imply that it was the end of the day - such as evening or night. "Was" would also be appropriate if he spoke about it after that day, as he would be remembering the past. Ex: That day was the best day of my life! => The day is in the past. Ex: Today was the best day of my life! => The end of the day. Ex: Today has been one of the best days of my life! => The day is still happening. Ex: She has been staring at the clock all day. => Action started in the past and is still happening. Ex: She was staring at the clock all day. => The end of the day. Ex: She stared at the clock all day. => Past action.