Would - conditional or past tense?

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jack112

#343965 Tue, 27 Mar 07 08:31 AM

"Have you ever turned down a promotion?"

No, I haven't. I've worked hard to achieve the promotions I've received and have always felt I was the right woman for the job. However, if I was ever offered a promotion for which I was sure I wasn't ready, I'd like to think I would have the courage to decline the offer at that moment but to be reconsidered if the situation arose in the future. I would not put myself in a position where I jeopardized the people working for me, or those for whom I worked, for the sake of vanity.

Is this in past tense (talking about the past) or is this a conditional? If this is a conditional, how can you tell when the 'if' part is omitted?
1. I would not put myself in a position where I jeopardized the people working for me, or those for whom I worked, for the sake of vanity.
Thanks.

jack112

Joined on Thu, Jul 22 2004

Regular Member (715)

Conditionals, Past tenses, Promotions, Tenses, Whom

Kooyeen

#344167 Tue, 27 Mar 07 04:59 PM

Hi Jack,
my try:
I would not put myself in a position where I jeopardized the people working for me, or those for whom I worked, for the sake of vanity.
I don't know the exact terms to refer to those words. Let's say those two "past tenses" are kind of like two "subjunctives" or "unreality past tenses". It's like everything is part of an hypothetical statement, like "If I worked there and jeopardized the people...". But that's not really part of an "If... would" sentence, since there are no if's, but rather it is more of a tense simplification in conditional sentences. The simplification consists in using a past tense in conditional senteces, without repeating "would", and it's done even if the situation is real and not hypothetical. Here's an example I just invented:

Well, if some girl tried to flirt with Michael, I would simply tell her he was my boyfriend and to leave him alone. But I wouldn't punch her in the face, come on! I'm not that violent!

First, I'm not sure that's a good example, and second I don't kow if "is" is also possible instead of "was". Maybe it's used in speech the same way mixed conditionals are used, I don't know.
Wait for some other advice Smile [:)]