0
Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

"forever" or "in forever"

0I've had this argument several times with friends and have not been able to resolve it. Which (if either) of the following sentences is correct?02br
02br
00"I haven't seen him in forever." 02br
02br
00or02br
02br
00"I haven't seen him for ever."0-
  

Top answer

0 Both are colloquial. The 'correct' versions would be either "I haven't seen him in [six months]" or "I haven't seen him for [a long time]". In the first case, "forever" is used as an exaggeration of a specific time frame, and in the second "ever" as an exaggeration of a more general time frame.

— Anonymous

  • 0 Both are colloquial.
  • The 'correct' versions would be either "I haven't seen him in [six months]" or "I haven't seen him for [a long time]".
  • In the first case, "forever" is used as an exaggeration of a specific time frame, and in the second "ever" as an exaggeration of a more general time frame.
  • 0-
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
0 Both are colloquial. The 'correct' versions would be either "I haven't seen him in [six months]" or "I haven't seen him for [a long time]". In the first case, "forever" is used as an exaggeration of a specific time frame, and in the second "ever" as an exaggeration of a more general time frame. 0-
0
0
0I have never seen him.0-
0
0
0 "(him) in forever" isn't standard English. 02br
02br
00 You won't find it at the New York Times or at the BBC. 02br
02br
00 Very informal. But can be understood. 0-
0
0
0 01blockquote
01cite10Anonymous12cite10I've had this argument several times with friends and have not been able to resolve it. Which (if either) of the following sentences is correct?12br
12br
10"I haven't seen him in forever." 12br
12br
10or12br
12br
10"I haven't seen him for ever."12br
0
0
0I have heard it, and have said it myself - in hyperbole - along with similar phrases like "in a million years" or "for yonks". Perhaps it's a Brit thing?02br
02br
00Lil' Ruby Rose0-
0

Related Questions