Forum: ell.stackexchange.com
Tags: <word-usage><word-meaning>
Title: Why we need "ever" between "have" and "seen"
Question: I am reading  English Grammar in Use  by Raymond Murphy.  I have seen 2 sentences below,   It is a beautiful painting?   Yes, it is the most beautiful painting I have  ever  seen.   I dont know why did they use "ever" between  have  and  seen .  Please advise!

Answers:
sents: text: Is your question about why "ever" is needed at all ?
text: That is, do you want to know how these two are different?
text: It is the most beautiful painting I have seen.
text: It is the most beautiful painting
text: I have ever seen.
text: These two mean the same thing.
text: However, the second is preferred for several reasons: "have seen" usually takes an indication of time ("have seen today", "have seen since Monday"...).
text: It sounds a little strange without it.
text: While "have seen" on its own suggests that "ever" is meant
text: , it's often preferable to actually say that clearly.
text: Saying "ever" also makes the statement more emphatic.
text: Given that the statement is praise for the painting, being emphatic is expected.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/6120/Tim Pederick
score: 22
sents: text: In your sentence example, ever is a superlative adverb and is linked to most , and as an adverb it could be placed either way 1)
text: I have ever seen 2)
text: I have seen ever 3)
text: I ever have seen where ever is defined by the totality of relevent experience, usually understood to be one's life time, but could also be
text: Queen Elizabeth is the longest reigning monarch ever in the UK.
text: Where is relevant experience is the history of the UK.
text: From my experience #1 is used most often .
text: #2 can be used for emphasis, where there is a slight pause before ever and then the ever is emphasized similar to really .
text: #3 is more poetic and literary in its cadence.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/26439/Peter
score: 13
sents: text: In that particular sentence and in many instances of practical uses of English Grammar, ever is used between have and seen :1.
text: To emphasize the degree of interest in an object2.
text: To indicate the totality of time before actually seeing that object.
text: To put simply, in one's lifetime3.
text: Used in affirmative sentences before superlatives to pass the sense 2 (above)
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/28130/Shivam Srivastava
score: 2
sents: text: I would say that it gives the sentence a word that can be emphasized and possibly a better-sounding rhythm.
text: It also helps avoid some confusion.
text: I think I would dare to say that most of the time when no timeframe is mentioned the context is going to imply how far back to consider the comparison/superlative.
text: So depending on the setting it could implicitly meant something like these: "...
text: have seen [during our visit to the art gallery today.]
text: " or "...have seen [since I started working at this art gallery.]"
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/8026/shawnt00
score: 2
sents: text: "ever" or "ever in my life" refers to the total time span of your life.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/4159/rogermue
score: 1
sents: text: As a mathematician, I would say that 'ever' is technically superfluous.
text: Heuristically , I think 'ever' is used for emphasis like when people say ' true fact '.
text: This is called a pleonasm as I just learned from here .
text: Probably the context might be that the previous sentences consisted of things like 'it is the most beautiful painting I have seen today' or 'it is the most beautiful painting I have seen in the museum'
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/28158/BCLC
score: 0
sents: text: Depends on the implied time period
text: In your particular example, the word 'ever' may be left out because in this context, the implied time period of question actually is 'ever' and the meanings match.
text: However, contrast "Have you seen John?" and "Have you ever seen John?".
text: In this case (again, depending on the wider context) the answers may well be different - the first question can be used with a meaning closer to "Have you seen John today/
text: recently, I'm looking for him, where is he?"
text: and thus you may have a truthful answer of "No" even if you have seen him last week.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/4496/Peteris
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
"Ever" makes the statement more emphatic. Given that the statement is praise for the painting, being emphatic is expected.
Ever' adds emphasis to the sentence.