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Thread: never get to date again vs. never date again

  1. #1
    CarloSsS's Avatar
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    Default never get to date again vs. never date again

    Hello could you please help me understand the difference?
    I heard two lovers arguing over what the girl had actually said. Her boyfriend claimed that she said, "I will never GET to date again." while she insisted that what she had said was, "I will never date again". What I don't get, is why it was such a big deal whether she said the sentence with "get" or without it. To me, both the statements mean the same, but apparently they are different. So what's the difference?
    Last edited by CarloSsS; 23-Feb-2012 at 00:26.

  2. #2
    J&K Tutoring is offline Member
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    Default Re: never get to date again vs. never date again

    I understand your confusion. The bottom line in both statements is that she will not date. The difference is in how she feels about it. "I will never GET to date again." implies that she wants to, but can't. "I will never date again" sounds as if she does not want to.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: never get to date again vs. never date again

    Thank you.
    Would the same logic apply to these two statements?
    I finally got to see my son yesterday. (= I had really wanted to see him.)
    I finally saw my son yesterday. (= I didn't care for it much.)

  4. #4
    philo2009 is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: never get to date again vs. never date again

    'Get to do', primarily in AmE, means 'have the opportunity to do'.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: never get to date again vs. never date again

    Quote Originally Posted by philo2009 View Post
    'Get to do', primarily in AmE, means 'have the opportunity to do'.
    Is this supposed to answer my question from my second post in this topic? If so, then I don't get it. If not, please tell me somebody if I go it right based on J&K Tutoring's explanation.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: never get to date again vs. never date again

    Quote Originally Posted by CarloSsS View Post
    I finally got to see my son yesterday. (= I had really wanted to see him.) Yes.
    I finally saw my son yesterday. (= I didn't care for it much.) Not necessarily.
    The absence of 'get to' is not necessarily negative. It depends on the situation. The combination of will and never with the absence of get to (have the opportunity to) can imply things that a simple past doesn't.
    CarloSsS and bhaisahab like this.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


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