Experience
Stating Experience in the Unspecified Past
Definite vs. Indefinite Time Frame
| PAST | PRESENT PERFECT |
|---|---|
DEFINITE - Past tense often indicates a more specific time, especially when told as a sequence of events. |
INDEFINITE - Present perfect is used to indicate an experience has occured without stating exactly when. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
I have never been to Italy. I have ever been to Italy. (incorrect) |
I have never been to Italy. I haven't ever been to Italy. I haven't ever been to Italy. (incorrect - double negative) |
Have you never been to Italy? (I think you have.) Have you ever been to Italy? (question) |
Ever / Never & Before
| EVER - QUESTION AND ANSWERS | BEFORE - QUESTION AND ANSWERS |
|---|---|
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 |
|---|---|
We went to Italy last year. |
We have been to Italy. |
|
|
Common Mistakes
| COMMON ERROR | FIXES |
|---|---|
Have you ever visited the Leaning Tower of
Pisa? |
Yes, I visited it in June. (Use
past tense.) |
He hasn't never been there. (double negative) |
He hasn't ever been there. |
Word Order
Placing Emphasis
Bringing words, such as never or often, to the front of the sentence for emphasis requires reordering the subject and verb(s).
No Emphasis vs. Mild Emphasis
| NO EMPHASIS | MILD EMPHASIS |
|---|---|
Adverb in normal sentence order. |
Adverb moved forward for emphasis |
We should never allow this to happen again. |
We never should [never] allow this to happen again. |
Mild Emphsis vs. Strong Emphasis
| MILD EMPHASIS | STRONG EMPHASIS |
|---|---|
Adverb moved forward for emphasis (same as example above.) |
Adverb moved to the front of the sentence for stronger emphasis |
We never have seen such a financial mess before. |
|
We never have had to have a financial bailout before. |
Never have we had to have a financial bailout before. |
We never expect such a thing to happen. |
Never did we expect such a thing to happen. |
We never should [never] allow this to happen again. |
Never should we [should never] allow this to happen again. |
Common Mistakes
| ERROR | FIX |
|---|---|
|
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") |
Practice 1
Traveling
Choose the adverbs or verbs that best complete the sentence.
(The context of the sentences below is a person telling about travel experiences.)
- Select the answer that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer on the right.
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