What is the meaning of the phrase 'gone are the days' and how is it used? [closed]
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
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.