Word order with "ever" Thread poster: Holger Laux
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Holger Laux United Kingdom Local time: 15:13 Member (2011) English to German + ...
Hi, As part of a translation project, I have a bit of a problem with the English word order in a sentence. Please have a look at these two variants: "I learned more than I could ever have imagined." "I learned more than I could have ever imagined." Can you please tell me which one you consider correct? I found references for both on the Internet, but without clear advice. Many thanks. | | |
Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 15:13 Member (2008) Italian to English The first one | Nov 17, 2021 |
Holger Laux wrote: Hi, As part of a translation project, I have a bit of a problem with the English word order in a sentence. Please have a look at these two variants: "I learned more than I could ever have imagined." "I learned more than I could have ever imagined." Can you please tell me which one you consider correct? I found references for both on the Internet, but without clear advice. Many thanks. "I learned more than I could ever have imagined" although there is an even better option: "I learned more than I ever could have imagined."
[Edited at 2021-11-17 14:01 GMT] | | |
Take your pick | Nov 17, 2021 |
All three suggestions so far are OK. "I learned more than I could ever have imagined" is the only one I would ever say. "I learned more than I ever could have imagined" is something only ever posh people would say, or only posh people ever would say. What a fab language we have. | | |
Ali Sharifi United States Local time: 10:13 English to Persian (Farsi) + ...
"I learned more than I could ever have imagined." This one is correct. The second one is a French way of saying the same thing. | |
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Holger Laux United Kingdom Local time: 15:13 Member (2011) English to German + ... TOPIC STARTER
Thank you so much for your interesting comments. | | |
MollyRose United States Local time: 09:13 English to Spanish + ... to avoid splitting the verbs | Nov 17, 2021 |
"I learned more than I ever could have imagined." This seems natural to me.
[Edited at 2021-11-18 21:49 GMT] | | |
Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 15:13 Member (2008) Italian to English
Only people who are not posh ever use the word "posh". | | |
MollyRose United States Local time: 09:13 English to Spanish + ... only because | Nov 18, 2021 |
[Edited at 2021-11-18 21:50 GMT] | |
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may ways to skin the proverbial | Nov 18, 2021 |
I've learned more from these comments than I'd ever imagined possible. | | |
On posh speak, Roberta Flack and getting over myself | Nov 19, 2021 |
I ain’t posh, Tom, no, and happily so. But I think that word order, in the UK at least, says someone who is educated and careful about how they speak, and probably over a certain age. Maybe someone who avoids splitting infinitives and using “whose” for inanimate objects or “they” as a singular. I must confess, I can never hear the otherwise beautiful Roberta Flack song “The first time ever I saw your face” without thinking it should be “The first time I ever saw your... See more I ain’t posh, Tom, no, and happily so. But I think that word order, in the UK at least, says someone who is educated and careful about how they speak, and probably over a certain age. Maybe someone who avoids splitting infinitives and using “whose” for inanimate objects or “they” as a singular. I must confess, I can never hear the otherwise beautiful Roberta Flack song “The first time ever I saw your face” without thinking it should be “The first time I ever saw your face”. And then, with my Plain English hat on, that it should really be “The first time I saw your face”. A good example of why language should be something you feel rather than something you analyse! ▲ Collapse | | |