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Let's say you are on a journey to your friend's house. Then before you get there, you come across a dead-end street, which you never thought of, finally, you and your friend meet. Then you say:

''Oh finally I got here!, there was a dead-end street I came across before I got here, and I'd never thought there will be one.''

Or

''Oh finally I got here!, there was a dead-end street I came across before I got here, and I never thought there will be one.''

Which is correct?

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  • You are on a journey, not your. I think it would be better to say "I never knew there was a dead-end street there".
    – anouk
    Apr 13, 2018 at 16:54

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First of all, neither of your example sentences are correct. Not because of "I'd never" versus "I never" but because of a few other issues—most notably "there will be one."

They can be rephrased in a couple of ways. (I will also simplify to focus on the essential elements.)

  • "Oh, I finally got here! I came across a dead-end street I had never thought was there."

  • "Oh, I finally got here! I came across a dead-end street I never thought would be there."

Depending on what you change will be to will determine which of the two you would use.

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  • Can I say: "Oh, I finally got here! I came across a dead-end street I had never thought was there before I reached this place.
    – John Arvin
    Apr 14, 2018 at 8:58
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    Yes that's grammatically correct. However, it's slightly awkward. I had to stop and reread the sentence before I realized that you were using "[before] I reached this place" instead of "I had never thought was there [before]." Because of how it's read, you first assume that "before" goes at the end of he previous part of the sentence. But it's technically correct, and only slightly awkward.
    – Jason Bassford
    Apr 14, 2018 at 14:22
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    A change that avoids any confusion at all: "Oh, I finally got here! Before I reached this place, I came across a dead-end street I had never thought was there."
    – Jason Bassford
    Apr 14, 2018 at 14:23

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