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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
If ever I've seen one
What does this phrase mean:
"If ever I'd seen one"
example: "A cookie connoisseur if ever I'd seen one!"
or
I hear people use the phrase "if I ever heard one" all the time. It does appear to work as an intensifier, but I can't pin down what exactly it means. None of my dictionaries list it, and I spent the last
20 minuets googling for a definition, but to no avail. Can anyone help?
Ex:
"Now that's a multi-purpose excuse if I ever heard one."
What is the correct idiom?
"If ever I'd seen one"
example: "A cookie connoisseur if ever I'd seen one!"
or
I hear people use the phrase "if I ever heard one" all the time. It does appear to work as an intensifier, but I can't pin down what exactly it means. None of my dictionaries list it, and I spent the last
20 minuets googling for a definition, but to no avail. Can anyone help?
Ex:
"Now that's a multi-purpose excuse if I ever heard one."
What is the correct idiom?
Top answer
If ever I'd seen one If I ever heard one Those are both variants of 'If I've ever seen/heard one'. AmE in particular tends to use 'ever' with simple past rather than present perfect. I'm not sure whether you can classify a whole phrase as an 'intensifier', which is usually limited to such words as 'very' and 'hardly', so you probably won't find it listed as such, though that is the sort of purpose it serves.
- If ever I'd seen one If I ever heard one Those are both variants of 'If I've ever seen/heard one'.
- AmE in particular tends to use 'ever' with simple past rather than present perfect.
- I'm not sure whether you can classify a whole phrase as an 'intensifier', which is usually limited to such words as 'very' and 'hardly', so you probably won't find it listed as such, though that is the sort of purpose it serves.
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1 Answers
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If ever I'd seen one
If I ever heard one
Those are both variants of 'If I've ever seen/heard one'. AmE in particular tends to use 'ever' with simple past rather than present perfect. I'm not sure whether you can classify a whole phrase as an 'intensifier', which is usually limited to such words as 'very' and 'hardly', so you probably won't find it listed as such
If I ever heard one
Those are both variants of 'If I've ever seen/heard one'. AmE in particular tends to use 'ever' with simple past rather than present perfect. I'm not sure whether you can classify a whole phrase as an 'intensifier', which is usually limited to such words as 'very' and 'hardly', so you probably won't find it listed as such
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