5 Comments
1080
I agree that "Were you ever in Denver?" should be accepted. I've reported it.
It's the same question as with "already". From what I've heard, slang and spoken language aside, "already" and "ever" have to be used with perfect tense... "Have you ever been" and not "were you ever".
Has it changed now, and simple past is allowed as well? How about "Were you ever to Denver?", is that OK too? Thanks!
- 1080
“Were you ever” is perfectly fine, grammatical English. This link provides examples of high-quality writing using that phrase in context: https://ludwig.guru/s/were+you+ever (e.g., “Were you ever in the Bullingdon Club?“)
Regarding your second question, it doesn’t sound right to say “were you ever to Denver,” at least in American English. It sounds like a word is missing (e.g. “deployed”).
Oh wow!
Out of all of those only the Bullingdon Club one applies, since the other ones are all "Were you ever + adjective" or "Were you ever + verbed", and not "Were you ever + place". But I see that there might even be a difference in the usage!
e.g. "Have you ever been to Denver" -> in general; "Were you ever in Denver?" (when you were in Colorado)
Thanks!
