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I have never known this to happen

Forums: English, Esl, Grammar, English Grammar, Learning English
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WBYeats
 
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 02:52 am
Are they correct?

A: In Denmark, do you have power outages?
B: I have never known this to happen.
C: I have never known this happen.
D: I never knew this to happen.
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Type: Question • Score: 5 • Views: 1,691 • Replies: 26
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McTag
 
  0  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 06:55 am
@WBYeats,

B and C are okay.
oralloy
 
  2  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 09:49 am
@McTag,
McTag wrote:
B and C are okay.

C seems wrong to me.

I like B best.

By itself D seems grammatically OK to me, but the verb tense does not match what it is replying to, so I would say D is wrong in the context of the question being asked.
0 Replies
 
ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 09:52 am
@WBYeats,
are B, C and D supposed to be responses to A?

if that is the case, then only B is correct.

_______

if they are 4 separate items, then A, B and D are correct.
McTag
 
  0  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 01:21 pm
@ehBeth,

B and C are correct.
ehBeth
 
  0  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 01:44 pm
@McTag,
re-read C, not what you think C says
0 Replies
 
ehBeth
 
  0  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 01:48 pm
@WBYeats,
seriously mct



I have never known this happen.



you think this is correct?


Tes yeux noirs
 
  2  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 04:00 pm
@ehBeth,
Quote:
I have never known this happen.

In British & Commonwealth English we often omit the 'to' before 'happen' in sentences like that.
ehBeth
 
  2  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 06:44 pm
@Tes yeux noirs,
not in Canada

you'd be marked down for that
0 Replies
 
FBM
 
  1  
Reply Thu 28 May, 2015 06:51 pm
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:

Are they correct?

A: In Denmark, do you have power outages?
B: I have never known this to happen.
C: I have never known this happen.
D: I never knew this to happen.


A. Good.
B. Good.
C. Not in American English. Nor have I ever seen it in British English.
D. Nope.
Tes yeux noirs
 
  2  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 01:14 am
@FBM,
I have lived in the UK for 20 years; my wife is from Kent, believe me example (C) would be perfectly normal in conversation if not in formal or academic written English. I have heard Canadians and Aussies say it.
WBYeats
 
  0  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 02:45 am
Thank you.
0 Replies
 
McTag
 
  1  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 02:54 am
@ehBeth,

Quote:
you think this is correct?


Oh yes, and it's commonplace.
0 Replies
 
FBM
 
  1  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 09:41 am
@Tes yeux noirs,
Tes yeux noirs wrote:

I have lived in the UK for 20 years; my wife is from Kent, believe me example (C) would be perfectly normal in conversation if not in formal or academic written English. I have heard Canadians and Aussies say it.


Thanks for the tip. It's a new one on me. Glad I learned something today.
McTag
 
  1  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 10:44 am
@FBM,

Quote:
believe me example (C) would be perfectly normal in conversation if not in formal or academic written English


Just to be picky, this usage is quite normal in formal or academic English.

You've never seen this happen before? I'm surprised, nay, shocked.
FBM
 
  1  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 10:46 am
@McTag,
Have I inadvertently pissed in your coffee?
McTag
 
  0  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 10:50 am
@FBM,

No, no sweat, I am really amazed though. ehBeth was giving me quite a hard time over this, but I'm not responsible for standards in the Canadian Education Service.

Wink
0 Replies
 
Tes yeux noirs
 
  2  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 11:46 am
@McTag,
Quote:
this usage is quite normal in formal or academic English.

You are quite correct; I was playing safe!

Examples can be found in lots of places!

1. London Medical Gazette: Or, Journal of Practical Medicine, Volume 16 (London, 1835)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p29/badoit/known1_zpsteccn6qh.jpg

2. Preaching and Preachers By Martyn Lloyd-Jones (London, 2012)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p29/badoit/known2_zpsqjjompsb.jpg

3. The Medical Works of Paulus Ægineta ... Translated Into English, with a Copious Commentary ... by F. Adams (London, 1834)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p29/badoit/known3_zpsgz8d9e1e.jpg

4. The Italian Seminars by Wilfred Ruprecht Bion (Rome, 2005)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p29/badoit/known4_zpsf6nzmfqj.jpg

5. Heat Stress Infertility in Males - Bozedown Alpacas - a UK alpaca breeders website
Quote:
Both male and female alpacas suffer from heat stress, but it is more of a problem with the stud males, because the heat stress destroys their sperm, and can make them permanently sterile. Seriously. We have known this happen.
0 Replies
 
Tes yeux noirs
 
  1  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 11:48 am
A person or persons has seen fit to vote some of my earlier posts down - I'd be interested to know why.
McTag
 
  2  
Reply Fri 29 May, 2015 12:25 pm
@Tes yeux noirs,

Seems a daft thing to do, especially anonymously.
I never look at that box. But I voted that post up. (Hope I annoyed somebody!)
0 Replies
 
 

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