What's the difference

[WZ]

Is there any difference between these:
Do/did/have you ever ....
One of my books says that "Did you ever..." and "Have you ever..." have the same meaning. Is it correct? What about "Do you ever..."?

Thanks.

[danmahaffey]

Is there any difference between these:
Do/did/have you ever ....
One of my books says that "Did you ever..." and "Have you ever..." have the same meaning. Is it correct? What about "Do you ever..."?

Thanks.
These are equivalent: "Did you ever [do x]?" and "Have you ever [done x]"

For example: "Did you ever drive a car?" = "Have you ever driven a car?"

These are questions about the past. "Do you ever..." is a question about the present.

Furthermore, if a text book or reference book states a language fact, the chances that it will be wrong and some guy in a web forum will be right are just about nil.

Good luck.

[Pete]

...

Furthermore, if a text book or reference book states a language fact, the chances that it will be wrong and some guy in a web forum will be right are just about nil.

Good luck.The chances are certainly low, but not all that close to "nil". I wouldn't have thought so until I started seeing quotes from English texts on this forum. I imagine these texts were written by people who learned English as a second language and wrote their books for teaching English to people who speak some particular language. It seems common to see explanations that are far from complete and suggest that certain constructions are the only ones possible when others will do as well. At times, the explanations or rules are just plain wrong. Of course, the majority of what is found in these texts is correct.

[danmahaffey]

The chances are certainly low, but not all that close to "nil". I wouldn't have thought so until I started seeing quotes from English texts on this forum. I imagine these texts were written by people who learned English as a second language and wrote their books for teaching English to people who speak some particular language. It seems common to see explanations that are far from complete and suggest that certain constructions are the only ones possible when others will do as well. At times, the explanations or rules are just plain wrong. Of course, the majority of what is found in these texts is correct.
As some guy in a web forum, I must remind myself never to use absolutes.

It's so true that the more distant a language text is from here and now, the less reliable it is. The language changes in both the dimensions of time and distance. I imagine somewhere is a text in which the author has established a rule preferring deign over vouchsafe.

Thanks, Pete.