'ever and before' vs 'ever'

Question

This is quoted form Practical English Usage by Michael Swan

Ever and before can both be used to mean 'at any time in the past', but there is a difference.

Before (or ever before) refers to a present event, and asks whether it has happened at another time.

ex1) Have you (ever) been to Scotland before? (The hearer is probably in Scotland)

Ever (without before) does not refer to a present event.

ex2) Have you ever been to Africa? (The hearer is not in Africa)

Q: I can't tell difference between ex1) and ex2). Especially, when it comes to ex1), why does it imply that the hearer is probably in Scotland ? Ex1) asks whether the hearer has been to Scotland before. Does it make sense that the hearer is not in Scotland in ex1 ?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Suppose you live in Scotland. You meet a tourist who would like to know more about Scotland.

In the course of the conversation the two of you start to talk about different places where you have traveled.

You cannot ask the tourist Have you ever been to Scotland? because he's standing right there in front of you. Of course he's been to Scotland. He is in Scotland now! So if you ask that, he'll look at you like you have two heads.

However, you can ask Have you ever been to Scotland before? This asks the tourist not to count his current trip to Scotland but to think about any previous occasions when he may have visited Scotland. If this is his first trip to Scotland, he'll say No, I haven't ever been to Scotland before.

CJ

'ever and before' vs 'ever'

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