Hi!
From all education in English I have had till now, I always learned about temporary regards of since only. Reading some posts at this site I wonder whether since has some objective regards too, hasn?t it?
When do you usually use since in an objective regard?
Michael
Hi Michael, glad to see you haven’t melted down to a steaming puddle yet :lol: !
Do you mean the use of ‘since’ in the sense of ‘because’ or ‘as’?
Since you’re losing weight, make sure you drink plenty of water! Since it’s so hot, I’ll have an iced coffee. I can’t take him with me since he’s ill.
Hi Conchita!
And I?m glad that you comunicate with common people still, although you succeeded on the farting test! :lol:
Yes, Conchita, that was my question?
Since you found out my problem, would you please tell me whether there is a rule when to use since instead of ?as? or ?because`? Probably you do know that us German always ask for rules.
Michael
Hi Michael
Since you asked… :lol:
Americans prefer since, the Brits like as. 
Amy
‘Since’ and ‘as’ can be weaker forms of ‘because’. Use them in the sense of ‘given that’ when the reason is not very important (or whenever you mean ‘da’ in German 
).
To express reason or cause, ‘because’ is more specific. Use it when you mean ‘for the reason that’, ‘due to’, ‘owing to the fact that’.
Hi Amy!
Your explanation makes sense, since I figured out the expanded use of since in your posts particular!
Conchita, don?t worry, there is enough mass at me, so that not as quick a steaming puddle from me will kept left only. But walking afterwards me you must take care not to slip on the slubber trace that I degull. 
:lol:
Michael
P.S.: Conchita, thanks for your explanation too.
The way you used the word ‘degull’ reminded me of the unrefined French terms ‘d?geuler’ (to throw up) and ‘d?geulasse’ (pukey) :lol: …
Hi!
The little word “since” is fascinating me since it came up to my mind that you can use it for multiple sense.
For instance, can anybody give the one and only logical completion of the following sentence?
Since I know the multiple use of “since”, …? :roll:
Michael
Hi Michael!
Here’s my ending:
Since I know the multiple use of “since”, I also know that there is only one way to understand “since” in this sentence.
(It means the same as as)
Your turn, Michael. :lol: Please complete the sentence:
Since learning that there are multiple uses for “since”, … 8)
Michael, since you’re German, could you explain something to me, please? Sometimes the German word “da” has a meaning similar to “weil”. What’s the difference? Is there a difference? 
Amy
Hi Amy!
What about:
Since (from that moment on) I know the multiple use of “since” I?ve been using “since” more often for objective sense. Without punctuation after the given part of sentence?
Since learning that there are multiple uses for “since”, I also know that it isn?t that easy to understand! :shock:
“Weil” is more straightly refering to following reasons of circumstances or doing or sth. else or whatever and in my opinion more polite, albeit rarely used!
“Da” is more common used and has more than the meaning of refering to following reasons. “Da”, for me, is more informal and sometimes sounds bad. For instance, “Da da vorne Amy sitzt…” :? Sounds ridiculus, doesn?t it? Better would be: “Weil da vorne Amy sitzt…” 8)
But back to my “since” solutions, what does them sound like?
Michael
Hi Michael!
Since you ask… 
Albeit sometimes ‘since’ looks (for me) just as a decoration, I admit that sometimes it plays its small - but important! - role and paints speech.
But
since I’ve leant the meaning of ‘ever since’ I still couldn’t (and can’t) use it naturally. Just say ‘since’ (and I don’t know why ‘ever since’ is not my expression).
Hi Michael
The verb “know” can be tricky to use with “since” (with the meaning of from that moment on).
If you say “I know”, that’s simple present tense and there is no indication in the verb tense of a time in the past where the knowing began. But you need that with “since”.
If you say “I knew”, that refers to a time in the past BUT it also indicates that the knowing is finished. :shock:
So, the only possibility would be to use the present perfect or to use a completely different verb to specifically refer to a point in the past (in this case, the starting point).
Examples (including “ever” just for added excitement… ;)) :
Ever since I’ve known about the multiple uses of “since”, I?ve been using “since” more often…
Ever since I noticed that “since” has multiple uses, I’ve been using “since” more often…
By the way, you mentioned you’d lost a lot of weight since it got so hot. What about your horses? Do horses also lose weight when it gets really hot?
Amy
Hi Amy!
Completing your sentence [color=blue]perfectly, I wasn?t aware that it is that complicated. Puuhhh… :shock: But for the moment I haven?t sweated out all the water only but also all my brains. So I leave this point for now and will return later. :roll:
If they do hard physical work for 9 hours a day they surely lose weight, particular when it gets hot. As for my horses, they hardly leave from their stables because they would have been attacked by the stable horses terribly. So they have summer holidays and feel fine.
Michael
Hi guys,
That was really fantastic discussion.
May I try mine, if you don’t mined.
Ever since I’ve joined this forum, my English has raised up.
Ever since he’s bought a car, he hasn’t could see us.
Always willing to hear from ya.
Baraa
Hi bara
For me it sounds as if you want to say that it is not getting better any longer (has stopped improving or has reached its top :))
or
if you has stopped using the forum 
As in the above example from Amy, I’d use ‘has been improving…’
Oh, yes…
This is the same case I had troubles (in my above sentence with ‘ever since’).
Really I don’t know the right grammar form for the negative case (that would be true for the definite perion-in-the-past and still true at present).
But anyway your saying (hasn’t could see) looks a bit strange for me. But I don’t know how to say that.
Tamara
Hi Baraa
Your sentences should use the simple past tense after “since” because the verbs “join” and “buy” refer to specific, complete actions in the past which mark the point in time when something else began.
Ever since I joined this forum, my English level has been rising.
Since I joined this forum, my English level has risen.
(Ever) since he bought a car, he hasn’t been able to visit us.
(The last sentence is grammatically correct, but I don’t understand the logic of the sentence. 8))
Putting the word “Ever” in front of “since”, makes it more likely that you will need the present perfect continuous in the second half of the sentence.
Note: raise is not normally used with “up” and the verb “raise” also always needs an object. Without an object, you should use rise (also without “up”).
You can’t use can or could in present perfect (or with any modal verb). In order to get the same meaning as “can” in the present perfect or with modal verbs, etc, you have to use “be able to” instead:
He can speak English.
He has been able to speak English since he was a child.
He will be able to speak English after he finishes the course.
Amy
You’re right, Tamara, about the use of a continuous tense after ‘ever since’. This expression means ‘from that time onwards’, ‘continually since that time’ and gives the idea of something happening gradually.
Now, as to Baraa’s second example, I’d put it like this:
Ever since he bought a car, he hasn’t been able to see us (can/could/been able to).
PS: Oops, I hadn’t seen your post, Amy.
Amy, Conchita, thank you for the explanation and for the examples.
But could you give an example with ‘has been being’ and ‘hasn’t been being’ (??)
(that would be ‘the pure’ form of present perfect continuous for ‘to be’ – at least, in my understanding of the form.)
?
Hi Tamara
Some verbs aren’t used very often in any continuous tense and “be (able to)” is one of them. That’s one of the reasons why I wrote “more likely” and not “always”. 8) Sometimes the present perfect simple is better / necessary.
For example, you would never say “He has been being rich ever since he won the lottery.” :shock: Instead you would say “He has been rich ever since he won the lottery.”
Taking Baraa’s car sentence as an example, that sentence is better with present perfect simple in the second half — no matter whether you begin the sentence with “since” or “ever since” — because “be able to” is something that you normally would not use in any continuous tense:
Ever since he bought a car, he hasn’t been able to visit us.
If you want to use be as a continuous tense (“is being”, “has been being”, etc.), you should have an especially good reason for doing it. Did you have something specific in mind? :lol:
Amy
Amy, Conchita and Tamara: Thank you very much for all these explanations. I really appreciate it and it was so useful.
What I meant by my second sentence; Ever since he bought a car, he hasn’t been able to see us; is that I implied he became proud because he has got a car therefore he broke up with us and didn’t like to visit or see us any more because we are not from his level of richness.
Best Regards
Baraa