Job Discussion Forums

SeasonedVet · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 236 Location: Japan

The following were two of four suggested answers on a test paper. You have to choose one answer. Which one is correct?

Complete the sentence:

I will never forget
b) meeting him
c) having met him

Ryu Hayabusa · Joined: 08 Jan 2008 Posts: 182

"I will never forget having met him."

That seems correct to me.

Mapleblondie · Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 93 Location: Canada

I definitely agree...I think that the progressive past tense (I think that's what it's called) should be used when talking about something that happened in the past, whereas "meeting him" refers more to the present.

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 3:48 am Post subject: Re: Grammar Question

BobbyBan · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 201

Try susbtituting the sentence.

I went to a karaoke box and sang "Yesterday".

b) I will never forget singing "Yesterday" in front of all those people.

or

c) I will never forget having sung "Yesterday" in front of all those people.

I think b) sounds better. How was the question worded? Choose the most appropriate answer? If so, then b) gets my vote.

In terms of frequency of use, Google seems to agree with me as b) shows up 222 results and c) shows up 3 (including this thread). Not completely scientific and I don't have a very good explanation for why b) is better than c) but there you go.

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

Both seem correct to me depending on the context.
b) is about the present; while c) is about something that happened in the past.

Really as a sentence fragment there is no way of telling which is 'correct'.

chechevitsa · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 22

I'd guess that they're looking for c); I think the "error" would be that "I will never forget meeting him" implies that it was the whole process of your introduction that you remember, whereas the fact of having met him is more accurately what people remember.

in short, "meeting him" refers to a (past) ongoing situation, while "having met him" refers to the completed event. while both are probably acceptable to most native speakers in a natural context, I think the second is more likely to pass grammarians' tests.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 1:16 am Post subject:

I'd say they're both a bit crap. You can remember people generally, or specific, memorable occassions (I'll never forget the day we first met/meeting him after work each day and strolling back through the park), but there's nothing "remarkable" about just 'meeting him' or 'having met him'. But hey, if we're going to continue looking at fragments, then I might as well throw in this to help confuse matters:

1. I'll never forget meeting him.
2. I'll never forget, having met him, blah blah blah ( > I'll never forget (having met him) blah blah blah ( > 1. > The expanded contexts in my opening para above)).

That is, 'meeting him' appears to be more "required", but 'having met him' could well be incidental (and would probably be assumed/not "repeatedly" stated anyway in ongoing discourse).

chechevitsa · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 22

what if it's a celebrity? then the fact of meeting him might be the most memorable thing about the experience (and not necessarily connected to a continued acquaintance).

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject:

Ahhggg!!!

NCTBA

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject:

Kootvela · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 513 Location: Lithuania

Both are correct.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:46 am Post subject:

BobbyBan · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 201

chechevitsa · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 22