What is the meaning of the phrase 'gone are the days' and how is it used?



Kindly tell me about the usage of following phrases 1) Gone are the days 2) Gone were the days 3) Gone are those days 4) Gone were those days



Answer



I only really use 1). It's idiomatic and used when wistfully describing something in the past.



Gone are the days when children would play outside.
Gone are the days when I could play football without worrying about my knee.



2, 3 and 4 sound odd to me, I wouldn't use them, but they are grammatical.


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