In Clauses^x, Stative verbs^x

Only one s in present!!! You can't use will with the stative verbs in this construction: } _______Your example with make sure does not belong to the pattern above. There's no indirect question.Make sure (that) you come back soon.A make sure that pattern is not followed by a future...

CalifJim wrote:And by the way, has anyone tried the angle that stative verbs might act differently from other verbs in if-clauses with regard to the speaker's tendency to keep them in the past instead of putting them in the past perfect (in what seems to be a "third conditional")? That...

And by the way, has anyone tried the angle that stative verbs might act differently from other verbs in if-clauses with regard to the speaker's tendency to keep them in the past instead of putting them in the past perfect (in what seems to be a "third conditional")? That might be a trend. ...

There must be a clause in the perfect tense when by the time is used. Is it true? This has the ring of truth. It certainly is the norm, especially if you include the modal perfect tenses (must have, would have, ...). And yet, counterexamples do exist, particularly with a stative verb in...

MrPedantic wrote:This kind of structure is common with a stative verb in the main clause: 1. If I were more intelligent, I wouldn't have made such a mess of my exams. (Intelligence now implies intelligence then.) MrP I see this as hypothetical, and the original as something that didn't...

Hello DiamondYou are correct in that "while" in itself contains the sense of duration. Nevertheless, I believe, "while" can't be followed by a purely punctual dynamic verb. For example, "While I hit the car, I was staring at a pretty girl" sounds weird to me. In the case of a when-clause, the...

MrPedantic wrote: Diamondrg wrote: 1- My English would have been better if I had some native friends. In addition, #1 implies that you do not now have native friends; that if you had native friends now, you would have had native friends then. This kind of structure is common with a...

Diamondrg wrote: 1- My English would have been better if I had some native friends. In addition, #1 implies that you do not now have native friends; that if you had native friends now, you would have had native friends then. This kind of structure is common with a stative verb in the main...