since / ever since

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1
  1. Plants and vegetables have been disappearing from my garden since we had new neighbours.
  2. Plants and vegetables have been disappearing from my garden ever since we got new neighbours.
    Are both correct?
2

Yes.

3

Alan,
How do the grammarians say “I lived in Chennai since 2005.” is wrong,
while “We knew each other since 1980.” is correct?
Both are in past tense only.
Could you please throw some light on the nuances of the sentences?
Thanks.

4

‘I have lived in Chennai since 2005’ would be correct. Use of ‘since’ indicates that you are still living there, so you need this verb form.
‘We have known each other since 1980’ is correct for the same reason.

‘We knew each other since 1980’, if used, would indicate that one of you is now dead. Presumably, not the speaker.

5

Hi Allifathima,

I am afraid that both your sentences do not use the right tense with ‘since’. When this preposition is used referring to time, it indicates ‘from then until now’ and is used with present perfect/past perfect and their continuous forms. You would have to say: I have lived in Chennai since 2005 and We have/had known each other since 1980. The use of the past perfect suggests that the other person is no longer around.

Alan

6

----->

7

Not sure what that little sign means but the point I am making is that

.

uses the wrong tense. What is your point?

Alan

8

Lost on you, but not on others, it seems.

9

The strange thing is that you frequently go to answers already given and add further comments of your own and yet for some reason whenever I add anything to an answer you have given, you seem to object. Why is that?

10

I am also among those who don’t know what…

----->

…means.

It does seem to me that when asked, annnntspannnts could have had the courtesy to say, rather than counter with his insider stance.

It wouldn’t do for the Duchess!

11

On the contrary, I only object when you don’t add anything to the answers I’ve given.

12

Hello Bazza,

It rather depends on who is doing the asking. Alan likes following me around the forum. I’m simply signposting the way to make it easier for him to do so.
(I don’t wish to turn this thread into yet another one where Alan resorts to personal abuse and name calling, so will bow out now.)

13

Hi Bazza,

No doubt you are as confused as you were before with that response. I fear poor Bev is suffering from delusions of grandeur!

Alan

14

My word, Bev, that was a cunning retrospective kind of hindsight comment you surreptitiously added to *12. That warrants a Hot Cross bun.

15
  1. He has been absent from college since last Monday
  2. He has been absent from college from last Monday till date.
    Are these two sentence
16
  1. He has been absent from college since last Monday
  2. He has been absent from college from last Monday till date.
    Are these two sentence
17
  1. He has been absent from college since last Monday
  2. He has been absent from college from last Monday till date.
    Are these two sentences OK?
18

1 is OK.
2 needs an actual date, I would prefer ‘until’ or even better, ‘up until’ there and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to use a tense other than the simple past:
He was absent from college from last Monday up until last Wednesday.

19

I think “till date” (meaning up until today, or “to date”) is an Indian English expression. As Beeesneees says, it would be considered incorrect by most English speakers elsewhere, certainly in the UK. (Some Indian English expressions, such as business expressions, are actually archaic British English. Not sure about this one.)

20

T_H_Lawrence,
Could you please give me a list of Indian English Expression like ‘till date’?