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MrPernickety Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary

Use of "the last I see of somebody"

Hi, everyone !

Could you tell me if the phrases below are "becoming" (or proper) and, if yes, do they mean the sentences I added after each in parenthesis:

1. That is the last I've seen of her (She's off to some place and I will never see her again)
2. That was the last I've/I had seen of her (She had gone somewhere at some point in time and I have never seen her ever since and will never see her again)

Thanks !
  

Top answer

1. That is the last I've seen of her (She was off to some place at some point in the past and I have never seen her again)- - Yes, as amended by me. 2.

— Mister Micawber

  • 1.
  • That is the last I've seen of her (She was off to some place at some point in the past and I have never seen her again)- - Yes, as amended by me.
  • 2.
  • That was the last I've seen of her (She went somewhere at some point in the past and I have never seen her ever since)-- Yes, as amended by me.
  • 3.
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5 Answers
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1. That is the last I've seen of her (She was off to some place at some point in the past and I have never seen her again)-- Yes, as amended by me.
2. That was the last I've seen of her (She went somewhere at some point in the past and I have never seen her ever since)-- Yes, as amended by me.
3. That was the last I saw of her
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Hi, MM

Many thanks for such an encompassing explanation !
So, in a nutshell, there is no noticeable difference among the three expressions ?

Thanks again !
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I see none, really-- with present perfect, the speaker is visualizing the event as more immediate in some way.
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Mr. M, do you not think the phrase "last I've seen of her" is just a bit flippant? I think it usually carries a certain sense of exasperation, maybe, as though the person's disappearance was not quite in order.
I can't imagine, for instance, using this phrase to explain to the company vice-president that you haven't heard from your boss since he left the office four days ago.
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'Flippant'? I suppose it is used that way sometimes. I think it can carry various overtones. I can imagine, for instance, a murder suspect saying that of the victim.
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