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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > help in vs help with- before in present perfect questions    

help in vs help with- before in present perfect questions



Ruwayda37
Egypt

help in vs help with- before in present perfect questions
 
Hello dear members,
I need your help(with -in?) distinguishing between help with and help in. Can they be used interchangeably or is there a difference in meaning? 
Another question is about using before at the end of present perfect questions.  I think it is not possible to add the word ever if the word before is used, as in Have you been there before? Is my opinion true?
One last question: Which of these sentences is/are correct?
I had seen him before.
I have seen him before.
I saw him before.
Many thanks.  

9 Dec 2014      





Apodo
Australia

They aren �t really interchangeable. I use them this way:
 
I need your help with a task. (not in)
I need your help with this.
Can you help me with this please?
 
I need your help in deciding which looks the best.  (more formal)
I need your help in distinguishing the difference.
I need your help to decide which looks the best. 
I need your help with my decision. 
 
I need your help in the kitchen (in a place)
 
Have you ever been there before? 
Have you ever seen him before? Yes. I have seen him before./ No. I �ve never seen him before.
 
We can use these if there is more information:
I had seen him before. I recognised him straight away. 
Did you speak to your teacher? Yes. I saw him before I went on holidays. 
 

10 Dec 2014     



Ruwayda37
Egypt

Thank you, Apodo for your answer. I just wonder if before was used an adverb. Which tense should be chosen, the past perfect, past simple, or the present perfect in a question like this:
Correct the verb between brackets:
I ................................. (see) him before. 

10 Dec 2014