in case and its commonest forms

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Kilimanjaro

#305411 Tue, 19 Dec 06 06:28 PM

1. I didn't want to say anything about the accident in case she shouldn't be informed that her son was involved

2. I didn't want to say anything about the accident in case she hadn't been informed that her son was informed

3. I didn't want to say anything about the accident in case she wasn't informed that her son was involved

4. I didn't want to say anything about the accident in case she might not have been informed that her son was involved

1. He got rid of his cell phone in case he could be traced

2. He got rid of his cell phone in case he should be traced

3. He got rid of his cell phone in case he was traced

4. He got rid of his cell phone in case he could have been traced

Hello,

What are the differences among the given choices respectively. What model or forms follow "in case" grammatically and which of these are the commonest usage in modern English grammar?

Kilimanjaro

Joined on Sat, Dec 3 2005

İzmir

Full Member (273)

Marius Hancu

#305415 Tue, 19 Dec 06 06:36 PM

>1. He got rid of his cell phone in case he could be traced

I don't think "in case" works too well here, even though it's used by many. I'd suggest:

He got rid of his cell phone so that he couldn't/can't be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone so that he may not / might not be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone so that he wouldn't be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone such that he wouldn't be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone (in order) to avoid being traced.
He got rid of his cell phone to avoid tracing.

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,673)

Kilimanjaro

#305419 Tue, 19 Dec 06 06:45 PM

Marius Hancu wrote:
>1. He got rid of his cell phone in case he could be traced

I don't think "in case" works too well here, even though it's used by many. I'd suggest:

He got rid of his cell phone so that he couldn't/can't be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone so that he may not / might not be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone so that he wouldn't be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone such that he wouldn't be traced.
He got rid of his cell phone (in order) to avoid being traced.
He got rid of his cell phone to avoid tracing.

Thank you very much for your quick reply Marius. One more question if you don't mind.

Don't forget to take your umbrella in case it.......................rain.

a) could

b) should

Which one best fits in the gap? Why?

Thanks again Marius

Kilimanjaro

Marius Hancu

#305420 Tue, 19 Dec 06 06:47 PM

As a matter of fact, I found I was wrong (I only thought of the "if" meaning): Sad [:(]

-------
in case

Function:conjunction

Date:14th century

1 : IF <in case we are surprised, keep by me -- Washington Irving>
2 : as a precaution against the event that <carries a gun in case he is attacked>

Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary
---------
Thus, you can use "in case" with meaning 2 here in those sentences.

Marius Hancu

Dates

Marius Hancu

#305423 Tue, 19 Dec 06 06:56 PM

Kilimanjaro wrote:
One more question if you don't mind.
Don't forget to take your umbrella in case it.......................rain.

a) could

b) should

Which one best fits in the gap? Why?

Should.

399-0 at Google, for
"in case it should rain"
vs.
"in case it could rain"

Marius Hancu

Kilimanjaro

#305426 Tue, 19 Dec 06 07:01 PM

Marius Hancu wrote:
Kilimanjaro wrote:
One more question if you don't mind.
Don't forget to take your umbrella in case it.......................rain.

a) could

b) should

Which one best fits in the gap? Why?

Should.

399-0 at Google, for
"in case it should rain"
vs.
"in case it could rain"

So you say in this example, we can't use "could" but "should". But "could" is possible for the sentences in the examples in my first message. Am I wrong?