Conditional

Hello Jack

To make this easier, I'll divide the sentence up into 4 sections:

'If I were older, |
that would make me an adult, |
a very responsible adult |
who drinks/drank carefully.'

The first two sections in each case make a standard type 2 conditional:

a) If I were older, that would make me an adult...

The 3rd section restates and redefines 'adult':

b) a very responsible adult

The 4th section further defines 'adult':

c) who drinks/drank carefully.

Since this is a type 2 conditional structure (i.e. an unreal hypothesis), the subordinate clause takes a verb in the 'unreal' past tense: 'drank' (= #2).

However, the final verb is quite remote from the other two verbs: a section intervenes. This means that the natural 'pull' towards a past tense verb ('drank') is weaker; some native speakers would therefore put the final verb into the present tense, as in #1.

It's also quite possible that someone would use a present tense for emphasis, or to make a point:

Scene: bar. MrP is 16 years old. There are several drinks in front of him. He's talking to his friends:

'If I were 2 years older, that would make me an adult – a very responsible adult who {here he lifts his glass in the air as a salute to his friends, puts it to his lips, and empties it} drinks carefully...But since I'm still only 16, and a feckless youth, I'm going to drink as much as I damn well please...'

Here, the tense of the final verb is in accord with real circumstances, rather than the unreal meaning of the sentence.

It's very similar to the previous examples: a case of 'changing horses in mid stream'. It's much easier to do this in the spoken language, because few of us retain more than a vague impression of the words we just heard.

MrP

Scenario: I live around here.

Are these correct? If not, why? What do they mean?

1. I wouldnt' have done that if I didn't live around here. (With 'didn't' here, it says that I still live around here?)
2. I wouldnt' have done that if I don't live around here. (What about this one? Is this one correct? Or I need the past tense 'didn't' if so, why?)

Which one would you use? Does it matter? Are #1 and #2 mixed conditionals? Which one is more correct and why?

3. I wouldnt' have done that if I hadn't lived around here. (I know this is correct but this makes the listen feel that you don't live around here anymore.)

Thanks.

1. I wouldn't have done that if I didn't live around here. (How come this is a type 2 conditional? Why isn't it mixed? I have 'wouldn't have done' here?)

Isn't this a type 2 conditional:
2. If I were you, I would drive more carefully in the rain.

And this is a type 2 conditional too?
3. I wouldn't have done that if I weren't still living round here.

Thanks.

Okay, so this is a mixed conditonal right?

3a. If I were still living round here, I would have bought a guard dog too.

If so, why can't I use this mixed conditional?
1. If I am still living round here, I would have bought a guard dog too.

Or is it, imaginary verbs (would, didn't, could, weren't, etc.) should go with imaginary verbs? And Present (as will, can, is, etc) should go with present.

But this is correct right?

'If I don't live round here, (then that means that) I wouldn't have done that'. It has a slightly amnesiac quality.

There are two separate clauses?

Thanks.

Hello Hela

Because I was living in the neighborhood, I bought a dog.

I was living in the neighborhood
Negation :
If I was not living in the neighborhood
But caution! The negation occurs ony in unreal world
And a grammar rule [one-step-more-past rule] demands
[REAL PAST] (indicative past)
-> [UNREAL PAST] (subjunctive past perfect)
If I had not been living in the neighborhood

I bought a dog
Predict the change of possibly to occur in the unreal world:
I did not buy a dog
But a grammar rule demands -
[PAST] (indicative past)
-> [Predicted PAST] (would have+past p.)
I would not have bought a dog

If I had not been living in the neighborhood, I would not have bought a dog.


paco