Experience
Referring to an activity in the unspecified past
Definite vs. Indefinite Time Frame
| PAST | PRESENT PERFECT |
|---|---|
Past tense is used to indicate that an activity or event occurred with an adverb stating a specific (definite) time. The emphasis is on the completed activity and its time – used especially when relating a sequence of past events. |
Present perfect is used to indicate that an activity or event has occurred without stating exactly when. The emphasis is on having had the experience. The time is indefinite –not important. |
My family saw the Tower of Pisa in June, 2007. |
My family has seen the Tower of Pisa. |
We were in Italy in last year. |
We have been in Italy. |
We took a flight from Rome to New York last night. |
We've taken a flight from Rome to New York. |
Present Perfect Adverbs
Indicating Experience - Unspecified Time
Ever / Never – Sentence Types
| STATEMENT | NEGATIVE | QUESTION |
|---|---|---|
A statement of experience uses the present perfect. |
A negative statement or question about experience includes a negative verb or a negative adverb – not both. |
A question asked with ever is a direct question. A question asked with never or a tag-question is asked when the speaker thinks he or she already knows the response. |
You have been to Italy. experience |
You have never been to Italy. statement |
Have you never been to Italy? question – I think you have. |
You have never been to Italy. no experience |
You haven't ever been to Italy. statement |
Have you ever been to Italy? question |
You have ever been to Italy. incorrect |
You haven't never been to Italy. incorrect - a double negative |
Have you ever been to Italy? question |
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You haven't ever been to Italy, have you? tag-question – I think you haven't. |
Ever / Never & Before
| EVER / NEVER | BEFORE |
|---|---|
Have you ever visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa? |
Have you visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa before? |
Yes, I have. Yes, I have seen it . (experience exists) |
Yes, I have. Yes, I have seen it. (experience exists) |
No, I haven't. No, I haven't seen it. (experience doesn't exist) |
No, I haven't. No, I haven't seen it. (experience doesn't exist) |
No, I haven't ever seen it. (negative verb is used with ever) |
Yes, I have seen it before. (experience doesn't exist - emphasis) |
No , I have never seen it. (experience doesn't exist - more emphasis) |
No, I haven't seen it before. (experience doesn't exist - emphasis) |
No , I've never seen it. (I have can contract to I've) |
No, I've not seen it before. (experience doesn't exist - emphasis) |
Past Adverbs vs. Present Perfect "Experience"
| ADVERBS FOR PAST ACTIVITIES | ADVERBS FOR EXPERIENCE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
The past tense often occurs with an adverb indicating a definite (specific) time. |
The present perfect – when used for experience – may occur with no adverb or occur with an adverb indicating a relative, indefinite time. |
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We went to Italy last year. |
We have been to Italy. |
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Also see Adverbs of Time
Yes-No Responses
Using positives or negatives
| YES | NO |
|---|---|
Whether the question is phrased in a positive or negative manner, yes occurs in the affirmative response with a positive auxiliary verb. |
Whether the question is phrased in a positive or negative manner, no occurs in the negative response with a negative auxiliary verb. |
POSITIVE QUESTION Have you ever eaten octopus? / Have you eaten octopus? |
POSITIVE QUESTION Have you ever eaten octopus? / Have you eaten octopus? |
Yes, I have. |
No, I haven't. |
NEGATIVE QUESTION Haven't you ever eaten octopus? / Have you never eaten octopus? |
NEGATIVE QUESTION Haven't you ever eaten octopus? / Have you never eaten octopus? |
Yes, I have. / No, I have. |
No, I haven't. / Yes, I haven't. |
Double Negatives
| DOUBLE NEGATIVE STATEMENTS | DOUBLE NEGATIVE SHORT RESPONSES |
|---|---|
Commonly, speakers avoid using double negatives with the logic that two negatives equal a positive. Informally, double negatives might be used for emphasis. |
When responding to a negative question, a speaker will disregard the negative phrasing. Instead, the person responding understands the negative phrasing as the speaker's doubt or disbelief. The person will respond to the question as if it were positively phrased. |
I haven't ever eaten octopus. I haven't never eaten octopus. |
Haven't you ever eaten octopus? I can't believe that you have never eaten octopus. |
I haven't never eaten octopus. very informal, mostly speech – used for emphasis |
No, I haven't. |
Related page: Pop-Q "yes-no"
Word Order
Placing Emphasis
Strong Emphasis vs. Mild Emphasis
| STRONG EMPHASIS | MILD EMPHASIS |
|---|---|
Place an adverb at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis AND move the auxiliary and main verb in front of the subject. |
The adverb can also be placed in front of the auxiliary and main verb. |
We never have seen such a financial mess before. |
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Never have we had to have a financial bailout before. |
We never have had to have a financial bailout before. |
Never did we expect such a thing to happen. |
We never expect such a thing to happen. |
The dverb AND the auxiliary verb move in front of subject |
The adverb moves in front of the auxiliary verb |
Normal Placement
| NORMAL | FINAL SENTENCE POSITION |
|---|---|
The adverb is normally placed before the main verb (and after any auxiliary verbs). |
In writing, words closer to the beginning of the sentence carry more emphasis. In speech, intonation determines word emphasis regardless of position in the sentence |
We should never allow this to happen again. |
We shouldn't allow this to happen again ever. |
Review
Common Mistakes
Common Mistakes
| COMMON ERRORS | FIXES |
|---|---|
INDEFINITE TENSE WITH DEFINITE ADVERB Have you ever visited the Leaning Tower of
Pisa? |
MATCH DEFINITE / INDEFINITE TENSE AND ADVERB Yes, I visited it in June. (Use
past tense with a definite time in the past.) |
DOUBLE NEGATIVE – NEGATIVE VERB + NEGATIVE ADVERB He hasn't never been there. double negative |
USE ONE NEGATIVE He hasn't ever been there. |
MIXED YES / NO RESPONSE WITH VERB Haven't you ever eaten octopus? / Have you never eaten octopus. Yes, I haven't. / No, I have. mixed positive and negative words in the response |
MATCH YES/NO RESPONSE WITH VERB Haven't you ever… / Have you never… No, I haven't. / Yes, I have. |
MISSING AUXILIARY VERB IN EMPHASIS WORD ORDER "Never we have to have a financial bailout of banking institutions in the U.S. before." |
ADVERB AND AUXILIARY VERB MOVED TO FRONT Never have we had to have a financial bailout of banking institutions in the U.S. before. missing verb – see section above "Word order and Emphasis" |
Pop-Q " Never"
Practice 1
Stating Experience
- Select the answer that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer on the right.
Practice 2
Yes / No Short Responses
- Select the answer that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer on the right.
