"I almost forgot."

Question

Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure out if you can "almost forget" in the past tense, because logically you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).

Matthew Shepherd

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure out ifyou can "almost forget" in the past tense, because logically you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
Well, people also say "I nearly didn't remember" if you feel more comfortable with that. Perhaps "I almost forgot" is a sort of prolepsis, being equivalent to "I was nearly in the position of having forgotten at the time when it would have been too late".

Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure out if you can "almost forget" in the past tense, because logically you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
It's perfectly natural English, used when you remember something just in time. I suppose it's actually an abbreviation of "I almost forgot to *** before YYY", e.g. "I almost forgot to tell you before I left...". It isn't like "almost pregnant" or something, although it might appear so.

Mark Barratt
Budapest

Usenet · Answer

Matt Shepherd wrote on 19 Nov 2004:
[nq:1]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure out if you can "almost forget" in the past tense, because logically you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
Anything that's idiomatic is automatically good English even if it can be attacked for incorrect grammar or illogical semantics. Good English is what we say it is, not what some rule books claim it ought to be.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Matt Shepherd wrote on 19 Nov 2004:[/nq]
[nq:2]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure ... you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
[nq:1]Anything that's idiomatic is automatically good English even if it can be attacked for incorrect grammar or illogical semantics. Good English is what we say it is, not what some rule books claim it ought to be.[/nq]
Idiomatic almost equals idiotic if it's picked at. Most idioms can't be translated word for word to another language because they make no sense, or worse, mean something completely different. I teased someone in Spanish by mistakenly translating an English idiom word for word and ended up insulting his honor. Ouch. I don't recall now what it was (30 years will do that) but his reaction I do remember. Vividly.

Nell

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Matt Shepherd wrote on 19 Nov 2004: Anything that's idiomatic ... not what some rule books claim it ought to be.[/nq]
[nq:1]Idiomatic almost equals idiotic if it's picked at. Most idioms can't be translated word for word to another language because ... Ouch. I don't recall now what it was (30 years will do that) but his reaction I do remember. Vividly.[/nq]
Very dangerous, as you found out, to use verbatum translations. Sign in the rooms of a Tokyo hotel: "Please take advantage of the Chambermaid".

dg (domain=ccwebster)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure out if you can "almost forget" in the past tense, because logically you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
It's idiomatic for "I forgot for a moment, but now I've remembered again."

Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://oakroadsystems.com/
"And if you're afraid of butter, which many people are nowa- days, (long pause) you just put in cream." Julia Child

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure ... you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
[nq:1]It's idiomatic for "I forgot for a moment, but now I've remembered again."[/nq]
And the "almost" says something about the relative timing, doesn't it? "I've remembered just now, just in time. I came close to continuing to forget, through this crucial moment."
I almost finished I came close to finishing, at that time. I almost died I came close to dying, at that time. I almost forgot I came close to forgetting, at the moment that counted.
What happened before that moment, whether you had been conscious of the thing for most of your life, or very little of it, is not the point.

(Forgetting things my kind of subject.)

Best Donna Richoux

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Matt Shepherd wrote on 19 Nov 2004:[/nq]
[nq:2]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure ... you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
[nq:1]Anything that's idiomatic is automatically good English even if it can be attacked for incorrect grammar or illogical semantics. Good English is what we say it is, not what some rule books claim it ought to be.[/nq]
I agree entirely. I just thought of that on the bus ride to work this morning and was sort of funnin' with it.

Usenet · Answer

On 18 Nov 2004 23:57:42 GMT, CyberCypher
[nq:1]Matt Shepherd wrote on 19 Nov 2004:[/nq]
[nq:2]Is that actually good English? I've been trying to figure ... you had forgotten until you ceased to forget (or remembered).[/nq]
[nq:1]Anything that's idiomatic is automatically good English even if it can be attacked for incorrect grammar or illogical semantics.[/nq]
Acceptable English, but not necessarily good English. Good English originates from good writers and speakers, not from Joe Blow. Joe Blow writes, by definition of the Joe Blows, only average quality English.
[nq:1]Good English is what we say it is, not what some rule books claim it ought to be.[/nq]
I could issue a non sequitur alert or I could ask, "we" can't write rule books?

Charles Riggs
They are no accented letters in my email address

Usenet · Answer

Charles Riggs wrote on 21 Nov 2004:

I'm just imitating the grammer genius.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.

"I almost forgot."

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions