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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

have had/had had

What's the difference between the following two sentences?
I was the best dinner that I ever have had last night.
I was the best dinner that I ever had had last night.
Thank you !
  

Top answer

Anonymous I was the best dinner that I ever have had last night. You were the dinner? I think you mean "It was", not "I was".

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous I was the best dinner that I ever have had last night.
  • You were the dinner?
  • I think you mean "It was", not "I was".
  • The best dinner of all the dinners you had last night?
  • How many dinners did you have last night?
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8 Answers
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AnonymousI was the best dinner that I ever have had last night.
You were the dinner? I think you mean "It was", not "I was".
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There isn't much difference. Both are ungrammatical and don't really make sense. I think you mean: Last night I had the best dinner I [have] ever had. In American English the past tense is sometimes used instead of the present perfect with ever, never and always.

This is a famous Mark Twain quote: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisc
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Cool BreezeThe coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.
Off-topic: Having lived near that city for many years, I can vouch for that. I'm sure that Mr. Twain's statement is no exaggeration.

CJ
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CalifJimOff-topic: Having lived near that city for many years, I can vouch for that. I'm sure that Mr. Twain's statement is no exaggeration.
Equally off-topic: I spent a few days in San Francisco in late June in 1979 and got some firsthand knowledge of the climate. It was fairly sunny but the temperature was only about 17ºC at its warmest in the afternoon. Tha
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Cool BreezeI spent a few days in San Francisco in late June in 1979
Amazing! I missed you by about six weeks. I moved to this area in mid-August of the same year.

Enjoy Las Vegas!

CJ
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To use 'last night', you can write this:

Last night I had the best dinner I have ever had.

CAN I SAY "Last night I had the best dinner I HAD ever had."?

I read in a grammar book which explains both are right here.
The difference is that " have had" indicates that it is the best dinner I enjoy up to now while "had had" indicates i
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AnonymousCAN I SAY "Last night I had the best dinner I HAD ever had."? ...Is this reasonable ?
Yes, you can say it, but there's no reason to do that. You haven't had another dinner yet. It only makes sense to use the past perfect if you add an until-clause like this:

Last night I had the best dinner I had ever had until now. (
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