In Modals^x, Conditionals^x

Mr P: The distinction is clear, and has nothing to do with {teeth on edge} 'inclusiveness': Let us have no more touchy-feely grammar. JT: I allowed that it might, Mr P. I didn't state that it did. You may want to adress this issue with Casi. But before you do that, consider that grammatical...

BBC English says if you should… / if you happen to… Note that we use should in the if-clause in the first conditional if we want to suggest that something is very unlikely. We can use happen to in a similar way or even combine them: If you should / happen to change your mind about coming to...

I'm afraid the previous example would be inadequate in the context to contrast the four constructs. (1) If that kind of tsunami comes to Japan tomorrow, Tokyo will be devastated. (2) If that kind of tsunami should come to Japan tomorrow, Tokyo will be devastated. (3) If that kind of...

Modality in English is a complex topic. You might want to start with this, which just scratches the surface. The modal expressions of English fall into two major groups, the modals of logic and the modals of interpersonal volition. Each of these groups can be subdivided according to a property...

CJ: "I would go" and "That would be nice" are pure (non-idiomatic) conditional, but their corresponding "if" clauses are not explicitly stated. JT: "I will go" and "That will be nice" are also pure conditional, but their corresponding "if" clauses are not explicitly stated. What do you...

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...

Goodness! I'm trapped in a conundrum, and I don't even know it! None of the "would" + base-form-of-verb patterns are past. They are all conditional. "would like" is an idiom for "want"; the substitute is often made for politeness. "I would go" and "That would be nice" are pure...

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...

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 JTT Hello, Mr Pedantic. May I call you Mr P? {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 will do the same for...