About the use of "since"

Question

As we know, in the adverbial clause introduced by "since", if the predicate is a continuative verb, the time begins at the end of the action of the verb. Right? For example, "We haven't seen each other since I worked in the factory" means "We haven't seen each other since I stopped working in the factory" and "It's two years since he was a soldier" means " It's two years since he left the army."

But what about this sentence "That has changed since I was here"? Does it mean "That's changed since I came here" or "That's changed since I left here"?

Aperisic · Accepted Answer

Qingqing
But what about this sentence "That has changed since I was here"

To me

That has changed since I was here = That has changed since the last time I was here.

I can't imagine any other option, I am curious to see what others have to say.

Marius Hancu · Answer

I agree with Aperisic:

That has changed since I was here = That has changed since the last time I was here.

However, this might also mean:
That's changed since I left this place/here.
(there is not incompatibility).

Milky · Answer

Normally seen and heard as "That has changed since I was last here" or ""That has changed since I was here last" and meaning "from the end of the period of when I was last here until sometime before I arrived again, something has changed".

Other:

"That has changed since I arrived", meaning "from the moment I arrived here to now when I speak, something has changed".

Qingqing · Answer

The following words are from the famous book "Anne's Best Friend":

I wonder if it's because I haven't been able to be outdoors for so long that I've grown so crazy about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that there was a time when a deep blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me spellbound. That's changed since I was here.

Some reference materials paraphrase it as "That has changed since I arrived here."

How to understand it?

CalifJim · Answer

Let me guess. The person referred to by I is Anne's best friend. She has been at some place X for a long time. She is talking about changes in her perceptions of the world. At the time of speaking about these changes she is still located at place X. She has not yet left place X.

If I'm right, then she is saying, That's changed between the time when I first arrived here and the present time (and I am still here).

She expresses this thought with That's changed since I was here, though I think we, in that set of circumstances, would normally say That's changed since I arrived here or That's changed [since / during the time] I have been here.

She could not possibly mean That's changed since I left this place, because she has not left.

CJ

Wwwdotcom · Answer

Generally speaking, you are correct. However, we are loose with the language here.

"We haven't seen each other since I worked in the factory"

You could see it as the very last moment of working at the factory, or you could look at it as a block of time when these 2 people were working at the factory.

This is similar to words like "knew" (I knew her very well). So, going back to the example, to really take it as the very last moment, then the 2 probably don't know each other very well. In contrast, "we haven't seen each other" is not used to indicate this.

"That has changed since I was here" - I think this depends on what follows. The speaker could talk about how it was, which would indicate since the time they left. If they talk more about how it is now, then it would be "since I [last] came here".

"since I last came here" also suggests a routine, "He was working on his car the last time I saw him" (Maybe I'll see him at the bar again after he finishes)

"since I came here" suggests a more final point in time, "It has been raining since I came here"

Aperisic · Answer

I wonder if it's because I haven't been able to be outdoors for so long that I've grown so crazy about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that there was a time when a deep blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me spellbound. That's changed since I was here.

For me these bold parts are making distance that is only confirmed by since I was here. For her it is like being in two different places. While reading this passage I didn't feel the error, quite contrary I felt that what she wanted to say is that though the place was the same, here, it is outdoors what she meant about. I saw here = last time I was outdoors here, last time I was able to be outdoors here, but the change has been happening while I was here.

last time I was here able to be outdoors + the change has been happening while I was here = That's changed since I was here.

Observe: That has changed

This is a matter of style, not grammar. It is perfectly understandable what she meant and condensed with right taste. It is extremely difficult to write that way, to feel when you can break the grammar rule. Not only that, by breaking these small rules, the writer can suggest who is the person he or she is taking about. Deliberate mistakes are very frequent in writing. Though here it is not the case.

About the use of "since"

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