http://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/it-has-never-been-easier
I know the phrase of the title means that the thing is now easy.
But,can this writing structure be used for other adjectives?
For example
I have never been busier.=I'm now busy.
She has never been more beautiful.= She is now beautiful.
After the car crash, going to school has never been tougher.=it is now tough.
Is the above understanding right?
Next,when we want to use the sentences like this,is the structure "present tense+comparative" needed?
Finally, what is the difference between the following sentences?
A.It has never been easier.
B.It has been easier.
C.It is easier than before.
D.It is easy now.
Best Answer
Typical uses: to have never been [comparative adjective]
I have never been busier. Meaning: never been busier [than now]
She has never been more beautiful. Meaning: never been more beautiful [than now]
After the car crash, going to school has never been tougher. Meaning: never been tougher [than now]
Please note: all your examples are correct. And they all contain an implicit comparative that I have shown in square brackets.
As for the sentences below, they all are slightly different depending on what you want to say or need to say in the present about the past or about the past:
A.It has never been easier. Meaning: This is the easiest time. [spoken in the present time for you]
B.It has been easier. Meaning: It has been easier [spoken in the present, implied "than now"].
C.It is easier than before. [regular comparative]
D.It is easy now. Meaning: It was not easy before. [Well, this one is obvious: present time versus past time, a time that is over or finished]
Bear in mind that here the present perfect merely tells us something began in the past and continues to be true at the time of speaking. It does not tell us anything about when in the past specifically anything happened.