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Old Man Gordon Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

Do you ever wonder?

0I was discussing the usage of 'ever' with a student.02br
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00How do we define the difference between 01u00do you ever02u00 and 01u00have you ever?02u02br
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00I assume the difference is whether or not you do something at this stage of your life, but who defines the stage, the asker or the answerer?0-
  

Top answer

0"Do you ever" refers to the present and future, "have you ever" refers to the past. 0-

— Tidus

  • 0"Do you ever" refers to the present and future, "have you ever" refers to the past.
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4 Answers
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0"Do you ever" refers to the present and future, "have you ever" refers to the past. 0-
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0 Well, I disagree that "Do you ever wonder..." refers to only the present and future. "Do you ever wonder..." isn't all that different from any simple present tense question, in my opinion. To me it means basically the same thing as "Do you at 01b00times02b00 ask yourself..." and that includes the past. 02br
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00Saying "Have you ever wondered..
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0 I'm not sure how 01i00ever02i00 has anything to do with the difference between the present and the present perfect. It retains the same meaning regardless of tense.02br
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00 The present has to be understood as including more time than just an instant. 02br
00 The present perfect is meant to include all time up to the present.02
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0 Spot on. It's not the 'ever' but the other words that give the context - "do you", and "have you". 0-
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