Tenses after "IF"

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xEnOn

#50031 Tue, 12 Oct 04 12:51 PM

Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum.
I would like to ask if the tenses after 'IF' should be a past tense or continue the sentence of the tenses? And for tenses after the comma of an 'IF' sentence, do i continue with past tense of the tense of the sentence?
For instance,
If you were to come tomorrow, I will give you a gift.
OR
If you were to come tomorrow, I would give you a gift.
OR
If you are to come tomorrow, I will give you a gift.

Which one is the correct one? I usually write like what the second one is like.

xEnOn

Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004

New Member (31)

Commas, Past tenses, Tenses

Mister Micawber

#50050 Tue, 12 Oct 04 02:33 PM

Hi Xenon,

Welcome to English Forums.

The first is NG, while both the second and third are fine; but they carry slightly different meanings:

'If you were to come tomorrow, I would give you a gift' suggests that the coming is very unlikely or impossible.

'If you are to come tomorrow, I will give you a gift' indicates that the person is planning, and is expected, to come tomorrow.