[Grammar] Have since experienced -or- have experienced since

[EnglishEssay]

Hi there!

I am writing an essay and got some feedback from the examiner.

My original sentence was as follows:

"Patents have been a key instrument in providing this certainty and lay at the foundation of the industrial revolution and the rapid advancements in technology we have since experienced"

The examiner gave as feedback that it should be "have experienced since"

I am wondering if both options are correct or not, and if so, which one is used preferably (in an essay).
If neither option is correct, I am curious to know how to correct it.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi there!

I am writing an essay and got some feedback from the examiner.

My original sentence was as follows:

"Patents have been a key instrument in providing this certainty and lie at the foundation of the industrial revolution and the rapid advancements in technology we have since experienced."

The examiner gave as feedback that it should be "have experienced since."

I am wondering if both options are correct or not,

They are both correct and mean the same thing.

and if so, which one is used preferably (in an essay).

Either one is fine.

If neither option is correct, I am curious to know how to correct it.

It's your examiner who needs correcting.

Thank you [STRIKE]in advance[/STRIKE]!

Don't waste time with "in advance." It's obviously in advance. We can't answer what we haven't seen yet.

Welcome, EnglishEssay!

Remember to punctuate ends of sentences. Otherwise, they're not sentences.

Assignment for you: Review the differences between lay and lie.

Assignment for your examiner: Teach history!

 

[EnglishEssay]

Welcome, EnglishEssay!

Remember to punctuate ends of sentences. Otherwise, they're not sentences.

Assignment for you: Review the differences between lay and lie.

Assignment for your examiner: Teach history!

Thank you for your response.

I will definitely review the differences between lie and lay, those are indeed not yet fully understood.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Thank you for your response.

I will definitely review the differences between lie and lay, those are indeed not yet fully understood.

You're not alone. They're not fully understood by anyone!

 

[TheParser]

I am wondering if both options are correct or not, and if so, which one is used preferably (in an essay).

NOT A TEACHER

Great question! I, too, would like a definitive answer.

1. When you have time, I suggest that you go to Google and type in the words "since experienced." Then go to its "Books" section where you will find many examples from various books. Check them out.

2. Then type in "experienced since" in the "Books" section and study the examples there.

a. I did so, and I noticed something very interesting. It seems that (in these examples) "since" usually follows "experienced" when it is a preposition.

i. I made up this example: "There have been rapid advancements in technology [that] we have experienced since the end of World War II."

3. You, however, are using "since" as an adverb to modify the verb "experienced." I did not check all the examples in the "Books" section of Google, but almost all of the examples I studied put the adverb "since" before the verb, as you had done.

 

[probus]

First off, EnglishEssay, I have little problem with your use of lay as the simple past tense of lie. Those agreeing with your examiner seem to be assuming that the author was writing in the present tense, which is not necessarily true. The past also makes sense. Secondly I can find no authoritative support for your examiner's preferred word order. TheParser nailed it: when since is an adverb both word orders are used.

Having said that, there is one caveat. When it comes to an examination, the answer preferred by the examiner is always the right answer for purposes of that examination.