In Conditionals^x, Past tenses^x

Would you please tell us now the difference between 2) and 3) , then 3) and 4) ? (2) If that kind of tsunami should come to Japan tomorrow, Tokyo will be devastated. (3) If that kind of tsunami should come to Japan tomorrow, Tokyo would be devastated. (4) If that kind of tsunami were to...

MP: This would change the meaning. The 'was' here is indicative. It can't be replaced with 'were'. In speech, we would show this with a stress: 'if something besides the cruise main was used...' JT: I have allowed for the potentiality you've raised, Mr P. It doesn't matter what name it has,...

JT: Using would have made the conditional fall somwhere on a scale of more improbable to impossible in the speaker's mind. MrP: I would be interested to hear your description of this distinct nuance. JT: allows for a greater possibility; illustrates that the speaker is saying that "the...

Hello Jack If something besides the cruise main was used to cancel cruising speed and the system is still activated, the most recent set speed will automatically resume when the control lever is moved up to the RES/ACC position, then released. This sentence can be reduced to: 'If X was...

JT: Using would have made the conditional fall somwhere on a scale of more improbable to impossible in the speaker's mind. MrP: I would be interested to hear your description of this distinct nuance. JTT: Would you like a piece of pie? MrP: The fact that a word-form is used in one...

If they stop making cars now, it would take 60 days to sell everything they have. What kind of structure is this? JTT: I think this even has a grammatical name; mixed conditional. How come the tenses don't match and it is correct? How do you know if this sentence is not a mistake? I...

"If I was in London, I may visit the queen." It is the tenses which are all in pathetic disarray! "was" is past; "may" is present. JTT: No, "was" is past tense FORM, CJ; big difference. This 'was' clearly points to a unreal now/future conditional. It here fills the same role as...

Laugh out loud! Pure intuition isn't good enough for you???!!! JTT: Nope, it certainly is not, CJ. We've seen the result of that. I imagine the continuation as follows: "If I was in London, I may visit the queen." It is the tenses which are all in pathetic disarray! "was" is...

Hello, Mr Pedantic. May I call you Mr P? Of course you may, JTT. {Please don't ever take my direct manner in these discussions as any type of personal attack. I only want to address the facts. If I believe you or anyone to be in err, I'll plainly say so and I hope you and others...

Mr M: You are choosing one interpretation; I have chosen two. JTT: That's my point, Mr M. You have given an interpretation that, I'm afraid to say, just doesn't square with reality. Mr M: A little while ago, he went to the lease renewal office to renew his lease. The clerk told him then...