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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Which is correct?
Hello
Would you take a look at the following sentences?
1) This is the best book I have ever read.
2) This is the most difficult problem I have ever had.
In these sentences "ever" is used.
A grammar book say that if the subject are "This is the first / second etc. time that ..." or "This is the only ..... that ...", " ever" is not used in that-clause. However, I found that " ever " is used in these sentences.
Which is grammatically correct, with or without "ever"? Or are both correct?
Thank you.
Would you take a look at the following sentences?
1) This is the best book I have ever read.
2) This is the most difficult problem I have ever had.
In these sentences "ever" is used.
A grammar book say that if the subject are "This is the first / second etc. time that ..." or "This is the only ..... that ...", " ever" is not used in that-clause. However, I found that " ever " is used in these sentences.
Which is grammatically correct, with or without "ever"? Or are both correct?
Thank you.
Top answer
1) This is the best book I have ever read. 2) This is the most difficult problem I have ever had. Well, "ever" means at any one time , so it's a tad redundant with "first" and "only", which also mean "one", and by semantic extention "ever" is redundant with "best" and "most" ("ever" means one thing, and best/most mean "top thing").
- 1) This is the best book I have ever read.
- 2) This is the most difficult problem I have ever had.
- Well, "ever" means at any one time , so it's a tad redundant with "first" and "only", which also mean "one", and by semantic extention "ever" is redundant with "best" and "most" ("ever" means one thing, and best/most mean "top thing").
- , "ever" means one and "second" means two), but it doesn't have to be that way.
- Speakers do in fact say, This is the second time ever (in my life) that I've been here.
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1 Answers
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1) This is the best book I have ever read.
2) This is the most difficult problem I have ever had.
Well, "ever" means at any one time, so it's a tad redundant with "first" and "only", which also mean "one", and by semantic extention "ever" is redundant with "best" and "most" ("ever" means one thing, and best/most mean "top thing"). Furthermore, since
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