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Ask for help > What is the difference ?
What is the difference ?

sweet hannah
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What is the difference ?
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Dear ESL teachers,
Here I am facing another situation when I know something and can �t explain it. Would you please help me explain the difference between unforgettable and unforgotten . If I want to describe a weekend I had , I will use " unforgettable" . I feel that " unforgotten comes more with speeches and so. Do you have any simple explanation to convince my students because they feel they both describe something that we can �t forget.
Thanks in advance
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5 Nov 2012
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annabelle1654
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"unforgettable" has a quality of a memory that will stay with you forever. ex. It was an unforgettable night. =I �ll never forget it. "It was an unforgotten night". Sounds a bit archaic. "unforgettable" is used more than unforgotten, which would be in the passive voice, and would mean that I have not forgotten it, but not that it is unforgettable, something which is etched in my brain. This is how I would explain it. Hopefully it �s clear, but I �m sure others will come along and also assist in defining unforgettable and unforgotten. Good Luck! Best regards, Belles |
5 Nov 2012
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IbuLulu
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Unforgettable means the experience cannot be forgotten. Unforgotten would mean it has not been forgotten at this time, but I don �t think it �s a word that would be used (it doesn �t, for example, appear as a permitted form in Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries) - forgotten is usually negated with not or never. (eg after someone dies you might say they will not be forgotten). |
5 Nov 2012
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hussamk2000
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I support IbuLulu �s answer. Unforgettable is the most common. Unforgotten may be used , but it is not common. If you describe something as unforgettable, you mean that it is, for example, extremely beautiful, enjoyable, or unusual, so that you remember it for a long time. You can also refer to extremely unpleasant things as unforgettable. A visit to the Museum is an unforgettable experience... ...the leisure activities that will make your holiday unforgettable.
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5 Nov 2012
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yanogator
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Yes, we would definitely say "not forgotten" rather than "unforgotten".
Bruce |
5 Nov 2012
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