Tense-hadn't

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Newguest

#434719 Thu, 25 Oct 07 03:42 PM

Hi everybody!

"We all know the example of Muhammad Ali, however, we don't know if his illness is connected with all the blows he received on the head, or maybe he had just a bad luck and even if he hadn't done boxing he would suffer from the same illness today."

Do you think that it is OK to write "...even if he hadn't done.." maybe it should be "if he didn't do"???

Thank You

Newguest

Joined on Sun, Feb 25 2007

Contributing Member (1,229)

Tenses

Zenah

#434778 Thu, 25 Oct 07 06:49 PM

The correct tense is hasn't because he has not done it, therefore it should be "even if he hasn't done"

Zenah

Joined on Fri, Oct 19 2007

One Baylor Plaza

New Member (15)

Tenses

Grammar Geek

#434791 Thu, 25 Oct 07 07:06 PM

The "had" part is correct.

You can try "even if he hadn't boxed" or "even if he hadn't been a boxer." I prefer both of those to "hadn't done boxing."

However, there are a couple other problems:

We all know the example of Muhammad Ali. However, we don't know if his illness is connected with all the blows he received to his [the is okay too] head, or maybe he just had bad luck, and even if he hadn't been a boxer, he would have suffered from the same illness anyway.

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (16,098)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Tenses

Yankee

#434802 Thu, 25 Oct 07 07:40 PM

Grammar Geek wrote:
The "had" part is correct.

I agree with GG.
That's also known as a Type III conditional, Newguest. Type III if-sentences refer to the past and contain a condition that is impossible to fulfil. It is impossible to change the fact that Muhammed Ali was a boxer.

Yankee

Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006

Connecticut, USA

Senior Member (4,320)

Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

Grammar, Tenses, Conditionals

Newguest

#434819 Thu, 25 Oct 07 08:22 PM

IS IT REALLY A BIG MISTAKE TO PUT A COMMA AFTER "ALI?"

WHY CAN'T WE SAY "A BAD LUCK"

I WROTE "TODAY" AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE CAUSE, BUT MAYBE I'M WRONG, HE'S STILL ALIVE, THAT'S WHY I WROTE "HE WOULD SUFFER"

I KNOW THERE IS SOMETHING LIKE MIXED CONDITIONALS. I WROTE "HE HADN'T BEEN A BOXER" BECAUSE HE'S NOT ONE ANY MORE, AND "HE WOULD SUFFER" CAUSE HE'S STILL ALIVE.

THANKS

Newguest

Tenses, Commas, Conditionals, Mixed Conditionals

Yankee

#434830 Thu, 25 Oct 07 08:50 PM

Newguest wrote:
HI
HI !

IS IT REALLY A BIG MISTAKE TO PUT A COMMA AFTER "ALI?" It is a little mistake.

WHY CAN'T WE SAY "A BAD LUCK" The word 'luck' is uncountable. You cannot use 'a' with an uncountable noun. You can say something such as 'a bit of bad luck' or 'some bad luck', however.

I WROTE "TODAY" AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE CAUSE, BUT MAYBE I'M WRONG, HE'S STILL ALIVE, THAT'S WHY I WROTE "HE WOULD SUFFER"

I KNOW THERE IS SOMETHING LIKE MIXED CONDITIONALS. I WROTE "HE HADN'T BEEN A BOXER" BECAUSE HE'S NOT ONE ANY MORE, That doesn't change the fact that you have begun a Type III conditional. The unchangeable fact is that he was a boxer and therefore the condition ("wasn't/hadn't been a boxer") is impossible to fulfil -- whether or not he is still a boxer is basically irrelevant. AND "HE WOULD SUFFER" CAUSE HE'S STILL ALIVE. As I see it, the problem with "would suffer" in your sentence is that, even with the word 'today' added, it could be interpretted as a reference to only now and the future.

THANKS