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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Is "In Forever" grammatically correct?
Is the idiom "in forever" grammatically correct?
"I haven't seen you in forever."
It seems as though it should be:
"I haven't seen you for ever."
For some reason this bothers me, and I don't know why. It seems like there is either a double preposition, or a preposition with no object, or maybe it's just my imagination because EVERYONE seems to use this expression except for me.
Do any educated people out there know the answer to this?
"I haven't seen you in forever."
It seems as though it should be:
"I haven't seen you for ever."
For some reason this bothers me, and I don't know why. It seems like there is either a double preposition, or a preposition with no object, or maybe it's just my imagination because EVERYONE seems to use this expression except for me.
Do any educated people out there know the answer to this?
Top answer
Hello Anon, 1. I haven't seen you in forever. I would take this as a jocular variant of: 2.
- Hello Anon, 1.
- I haven't seen you in forever.
- I would take this as a jocular variant of: 2.
- I haven't seen you in an age [or some similar time-phrase].
- For "an age", which is already hyperbolic, the speaker substitutes "forever", which piles hyperbole on hyperbole, and raises it to the power of impossibility.
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4 Answers
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Hello Anon,
1. I haven't seen you in forever.
I would take this as a jocular variant of:
2. I haven't seen you in an age [or some similar time-phrase].
For "an age", which is already hyperbolic, the speaker substitutes "forever", which piles hyperbole on hyperbole, and raises it to the power of impossibility.
Cf.
3. It took me forever.
1. I haven't seen you in forever.
I would take this as a jocular variant of:
2. I haven't seen you in an age [or some similar time-phrase].
For "an age", which is already hyperbolic, the speaker substitutes "forever", which piles hyperbole on hyperbole, and raises it to the power of impossibility.
Cf.
3. It took me forever.
00
I understand that it is a hyperbole, but I want to know if it is grammatically correct.
Is the expression itself, "... in forever" grammatically correct. I am assuming it is, considering the word "forever" can be a noun, but it is most commonly an adverb and therefor it can be the object of the preposition. In this case, the preposition is the word "in"... but for some reason, it does n
Is the expression itself, "... in forever" grammatically correct. I am assuming it is, considering the word "forever" can be a noun, but it is most commonly an adverb and therefor it can be the object of the preposition. In this case, the preposition is the word "in"... but for some reason, it does n
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Grammatically, I think it can only be "correct", since "forever" can be a noun, as in:
1. It took me forever.
(Cf. "It took me an hour".)
Semantically, you might say that it's not quite right; but presumably that slight not-quite-right-ness is the source of its appeal (for those who use it).
Best wishes,
MrP
1. It took me forever.
(Cf. "It took me an hour".)
Semantically, you might say that it's not quite right; but presumably that slight not-quite-right-ness is the source of its appeal (for those who use it).
Best wishes,
MrP
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which is grammatically correct "friends forever" or "forever friends"
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