'What is the latest time...home?'

[Tom]

Hi

'What is the latest time have you (ever) come home?'

I know the intended meaning is what is the possible late hour (at night) have you come home?

But, if I remove ever from the sentence, would it give two meanings?

Latest= recent and Latest= late (superlative form)

Tom

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

We need to rejig this question. You've got two question forms in one so you need to ask:

What ...... you have ever come home?

To avoid the confusion between latest (superlative of late) and most recent, simply leave out time and then you have:

What is the latest you have ever come home? In that question it is understood you mean time/hour.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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