loveCZ
07-26-2009, 09:56 AM
Hello everybody. I, unfortunately, confused myself with these phrases' usages again, if I had ever really understood them before...
Please tell me if the following examples are correct or not and also answer some of my upcoming questions.
1. I have never seen a real gun. (I have never sighted a real gun from the day I was born until this moment. Still can't see it now.)
2. I have never seen a real gun before/formerly. (I have never sighted a real gun from the day I was born; but until now, I am finally looking it.)
3. I had never seen a real gun until I came to America. (Before coming to America, I had never had the chance to see a real gun.)
4. I never saw a real gun. (This started from the day when I was born until someday in the past. Which means started in the past, and also ended in the past. And there is a very high possibility that the experience was ended by seeing the real gun in the past. In the final analysis, I reckon this is virtually the so-called informal/substandard form of the past perfect version.)
My questions:
5. Regarding example number two, is it possible to express the original meaning without the words "formerly" or "before"? Will it easily cause confusions even possible?
6. Concerning example number four, is this form considered as a substandard form? How or when do we use it? Can we use it as the past perfect version? And perhaps even the present perfect version? Who usually use it - American? No offensive intention, I was only told that American favors simple past more while British favors present perfect more; just simply out of curiosity.
Thanks for all efforts.
Please tell me if the following examples are correct or not and also answer some of my upcoming questions.
1. I have never seen a real gun. (I have never sighted a real gun from the day I was born until this moment. Still can't see it now.)
2. I have never seen a real gun before/formerly. (I have never sighted a real gun from the day I was born; but until now, I am finally looking it.)
3. I had never seen a real gun until I came to America. (Before coming to America, I had never had the chance to see a real gun.)
4. I never saw a real gun. (This started from the day when I was born until someday in the past. Which means started in the past, and also ended in the past. And there is a very high possibility that the experience was ended by seeing the real gun in the past. In the final analysis, I reckon this is virtually the so-called informal/substandard form of the past perfect version.)
My questions:
5. Regarding example number two, is it possible to express the original meaning without the words "formerly" or "before"? Will it easily cause confusions even possible?
6. Concerning example number four, is this form considered as a substandard form? How or when do we use it? Can we use it as the past perfect version? And perhaps even the present perfect version? Who usually use it - American? No offensive intention, I was only told that American favors simple past more while British favors present perfect more; just simply out of curiosity.
Thanks for all efforts.