dragn
Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 450
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 Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:41 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
1. Have you been on TV?
2. Have you ever been on TV?
Q1: Which is right?
Q2: Any difference? |
Both are perfectly correct.
The only difference is that using ever emphasizes that the speaker means at any time, from the indefinite past until the present.
When we ask a present perfect question with no time restriction on when the event being asked about may have occurred, we normally insert ever into the sentence for emphasis (right before the past participle). For example:
A: Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?
B: Yes, and I loved it! I tried it when I visited Taiwan a few years ago.
Here, speaker A wants to know if B has tried stinky tofu at any time in the past. There is no restriction on when B might have tried stinky tofu. As long as B has eaten stinky tofu at any time in his life, he can say yes. So in this case, it is very normal to insert ever.
Of course, if there is some kind of time restriction involved, we don't include ever. For example:
A: Have you finished the homework assignment that's due on Monday?
B: No, not yet. I'll finish it on Sunday.
Here, there's no reason for A to use ever because there is clearly a time restriction involved. The homework was probably only assigned a matter of days before, and so the time period of interest only extends a few days into the past. In other words, it's clear speaker A means "Have you finished the homework at any time during the period beginning the day it was assigned and extending up until now?"
It is important for you to understand one thing, however: In the sentence "Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?" the word ever is not grammatically required. Yes, it is usually used—but it is used only for emphasis and is added at the speaker's discretion. As long as there is no stated or understood context that restricts the time frame of interest in some way, the sentence "Have you eaten stinky tofu?" (without ever) means exactly the same thing, and must be interpreted in exactly the same manner as "Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?"
In other words, your two sentences mean exactly the same thing, as long as the first one (without ever) has no unstated context associated with it that restricts the time frame being referred to.
This is where things can get tricky, because many texts used in foreign countries simply tell you that you must use ever in one place and cannot use it in another, as if this were a black and white rule. Not necessarily so.
Hope this makes sense.
Greg |
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