By Conditionals, Past tenses

Loojka wrote:Both can be correct, depending on what you're trying to say.I would give anything that she 'asked' me to. - I would give anything that she wanted me to.I would give anything if she asked me to. (condition emphasized) I would not give anything, unless she asked me to.This explanation...

Philip wrote: Neeraj Jain wrote:That's because you are starting your sentence in past tense. It isn't really a past tense per se; rather it is the usual form for an if-clause in a level two conditional sentence. Thanks, Philip, for your concern of this thread. By the way, do you agree that the...

Neeraj Jain wrote:That's because you are starting your sentence in past tense. It isn't really a past tense per se; rather it is the usual form for an if-clause in a level two conditional sentence.

Thanks a lot.You changed the second one, what I meant was something like this: CalifJim wrote:Here's what you want. I haven't slept in two days. I look like I've been beaten up. After not sleeping for two days, I looked like I'd been beaten up. If I don't sleep for two days, I'll look like...

Yes, normal past tense is always 'I was'. I were should be reserved for conditional situations - which isn't the case in this sentence.

are both sentences below acceptable?1. I was the leader of the team.2. I were the leader of the team.or is it besides second conditional, the 'if' cases, I should always use 'I was' for past tense?thanks everyone by the way. you've been a great help so far!

But what the Minnesota team discovered, using two different types of astronomical observations, is a void that's far bigger than scientists ever imagined. Why the word 'imagined' is in the past tense? Is it conditional? Thanks!

Anonymous wrote: Hi, I think a typical type 2 conditional would look like this: A person's life would be more fruitful if he spent more time reflecting on things that are happening around him. Can this be correct too? A person's life would be more fruitful if he spends more time reflecting...

Hi, I think a typical type 2 conditional would look like this: A person's life would be more fruitful if he spent more time reflecting on things that are happening around him. Can this be correct too? A person's life would be more fruitful if he spends more time reflecting on things that are...

A) Are there any verbs that are usually not backshifted, and the whole sentence is rearranged instead? I think you mentioned "should". For example, if someone says "I should see a doctor", the reported version would be "He said he had to see a doctor" or "He said he'd better see a doctor" or...