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Kenta Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

The position of "before"

Hello. I met a question about arranging the words.

The answer is "The earth has never before been polluted as badly as today."

Can I say " The earth has never been polluted before as ..."?

If possible, please tell me the reason.

Thank you. kenta
  

Top answer

" Never before " is a two-word adverbial phrase that means " at no time in the past. " At no time in the past has the earth been polluted as badly as today. If you say: The earth has never been polluted before - it means that there has never been any pollution in the past, which is probably not true.

  • " Never before " is a two-word adverbial phrase that means " at no time in the past.
  • " At no time in the past has the earth been polluted as badly as today.
  • If you say: The earth has never been polluted before - it means that there has never been any pollution in the past, which is probably not true.
  • This is another way to say it: The earth has never been polluted so badly as it is today.
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2 Answers
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"Never before" is a two-word adverbial phrase that means "at no time in the past."

At no time in the past has the earth been polluted as badly as today.

If you say:

The earth has never been polluted before - it means that there has never been any pollution in the past, which is probably not true. This is another way to say it:

The
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Hello. Your comment is very persuasive.

Thank you very much. kenta

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