how the author feels

[ostap77]

"You'd probably guessed that anyway. The Census report, like most such surveys, 1)had cost an awful lot of money and didn't tell anybody anything they 2)didn't already know-except every single person in the Galaxy had 2.4 legs and owned a hyena."

1) Is the past perfect used here to ephasize that "the report cost a lot of money"? I guess the past simple would have been fine.

2) "didn't already know"-I assume that the past perfect would fit better here?

[5jj]

Here we go again.

Ostap, you know when and how the past perfect is used. You also know that native speakers are not too dogmatic about 'rules' with the past perfect/past simple.

You will get the same answers you always get when you raise this question in one form or another. Some will make you happy, some not. In either case, you will ask a couple of extra questions to 'confirm' you have understood.

I really don't see the point in this.

[ostap77]

Here we go again.

Ostap, you know when and how the past perfect is used. You also know that native speakers are not too dogmatic about 'rules' with the past perfect/past simple.

You will get the same answers you always get when you raise this question in one form or another. Some will make you happy, some not. In either case, you will ask a couple of extra questions to 'confirm' you have understood.

I really don't see the point in this.

What's the meaning of "already" in the negative sentence " they didn't already know"? Is it close to "yet"?

Another dialog from a movie

"Is there anything about her?"

"Nothing that we don't know already."?

[bhaisahab]

What's the meaning of "already" in the negative sentence " they didn't already know"? Is it close to "yet"? Yes, it is.

Another dialog from a movie

"Is there anything about her?"

"Nothing that we don't know already."? What is your question about these sentences?

Bhai.

[ostap77]

Bhai.

What's the difference between "yet" and ''already" in negative constructions?

[bhaisahab]

What's the difference between "yet" and ''already" in negative constructions?

If we take this as an example: "they didn't already know", strictly speaking "already" is incorrect, it should be "yet". However, many/most native speakers will tend to use "already".

[ostap77]

If we take this as an example: "they didn't already know", strictly speaking "already" is incorrect, it should be "yet". However, many/most native speakers will tend to use "already".

Same with "Nothing that we don't know already" ? This one is from a good British series "Whitechapel" about Jack the Ripper.

Another question is that I've heard some speakers in movies saying things like "I will already be watching the second quater." Shouldn't be the future perfect progressive used instead? Is it used to imitate unaducated speakers?