forever

[thru]

Hi,

The injury may keep him out of football for good/forever.

The injury may always keep him out of football.

I don't know what the difference is in meaning among forever, for good and always. Could you please explain their difference? Which expression is best here?

Thanks.

[Shawna]

The injury may end his football career.
His football career is over, due to injury.

The term 'for good' is in use as an alternative for 'forever' when speaking about something that is ending. It has a suggestive meaning it is for the best that thing is ending. My grandma uses the term with venomous accuracy, but young people seem to use it little.

forever vs always. They are synonyms. While they mean the same thing always is an absolute. Always reaches infinitely into the past and the future, while forever has the sense of infinity into the future from this point on. Forever enjoys colloquial versatility where always does not. It is wise to avoid always unless it is true.

[thru]

Hi Shawna,

Thank you for your reply. I'm afraid I don't quite understand your explanation. I'm still confused about their use. Here's an example as follows:

I'll always remember that day.

Can I say
"I'll remember that day for good." or
"I'll remember that day forever."?

[Anglika]

Your sentences are all fine. They all essentially mean until the end of time.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by thru

Hi Shawna,

Thank you for your reply. I'm afraid I don't quite understand your explanation. I'm still confused about their use. Here's an example as follows:

I'll always remember that day.

Can I say
"I'll remember that day for good." or
"I'll remember that day forever."?

The phrase "for good" (somewhat ironically) is usually used in the negative sense (when it is not being used in the sense of "for good purposes") . Example:

Because of the injury, he will be out of football for good.

"I'll always remember that day" and "I'll remember that day forever" mean the same thing.

[banderas]

Can I use forever, instead of always, for repeated actions like: he is forever losing his keys?

[Barb_D]

Originally Posted by banderas

Can I use forever, instead of always, for repeated actions like: he is forever losing his keys?

Yes. One of Judy Garland's famous songs was "Forever Chasing Rainbows."

[SOON]

Originally Posted by banderas

Can I use forever, instead of always, for repeated actions like: he is forever losing his keys?

I don't think it is correct to say so because this is someone's bad habit, but maybe he can overcome it some day. We can not be sure that he will keep that bad habit all his life time. I prefer "always" to "forever"...What do you think?

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by banderas

Can I use forever, instead of always, for repeated actions like: he is forever losing his keys?

I agree with SOON that we don't use "forever" when talking about habitual actions. Instead, say:

He is always losing his keys.

or

He has a bad habit of losing his keys.

[jlinger]

And I don't like the expression, "for good" when it's not [good]. It's a silly, hackneyed, backwoods sort of expression, probably best spelled as it's pronounced, "fer good" to show that it belongs deep in the Ozarks.

Always means habitually, although I really liked Shawna's description of past and future. I think he's always losing his keys does not imply that he can't learn to remember where he put them. To say that he's forever losing his keys is somehow, as Shawna mentioned, predicting perpetual failure for the poor fellow.

The shades of difference are very faint. "I'll love you always" (Irving Berlin had a song, "Always") is the same as "I'll love you forever" simply because you've stuck a 'll in it. A "I will love" prediction. Niether proclamation is more reliable, however.

But to reach back in time, as Shawna said, you need to say, "I have always loved you." You cannot say "I have forever loved you."

Nor can you say, "I will love you fer good."