In Conditionals^x, Clauses^x

Hi,I think you should use "was", but for another reason, not because it's not hypothetical.After all, you can say "If I knew where he lived, I would go right over there and set his house on fire", even though the fact that he lives somewhere is not hypothetical.So my...

Marius, I feel kinda scared writing another reply to you... If you are angry at me, just feel free to ignore me! «If this house had been white I'd have bought it. Past time.» Yep, this is the standard type 3, used in a past context. But there exist mixed conditionals. Here's a...

Hi, Could you please tell me whether the underlined part in the subordinate clause can be "were" instead the one used? I think more context might be needed but hoping for the best. I think as it is, it is a typical type 3 conditional. I might add that the person was in store trying to...

I know 'would' carries many meanings. My problem is sometimes I find it difficult to tell which meaning the speaker uses. I think I understand its hypothetical usage, and in some contexts, its politeness usage. Below is a post that has several woulds I have trouble interpreting. I also...

Your sentence is type 2 conditional sentence. Hence the if-clause is in the past tense and the main verb is in the 'conditional' tense. However, the past tense in this is not a real past tense, it is a subjunctive. Therefore, this refers to present or future time. If you use...

Thank you very much for your aswer, Tanit, expecially for the first list you provide. I had not included these cases:In formal/emphatic conditional sentences: "Should you need further information, please call ..."When expressing wishes starting with may: "May you find what...

MarvinTheMartian wrote: I can't make up my mind which tense to use in the following sentence: "If it hadn't been for the remarkable opening passage, I would have assumed that the recital would be / have been a bore. I've seen both tenses used in similar constructions. Is it safe to assume...

I would agree with Tanit: a "will" in an if-clause often implies volition. In this example: I don't know if she will be ready. She's always late. (I might be wrong, but it seems to me that "if" here should be considered linked to "know" and not to "will") — I would take "if" as equivalent...

Marius Hancu wrote:The mixed conditional with were in the past time is quite OK: Quint chats THE NINES with Ryan Reynolds and John August!!! -- Ain ... If you weren’t as prepared as you were, this would have been awful and wouldn’t have worked. ... I just got back from Pittsburgh...

Hi Marius, I would have answered the way you did. But I keep debating myself whether backshifting a subjunctive sentence would cause some misinterpretation or not, since the third conditional usage means 0 probability (i.e., unchangeable past), while the second one means small probability...