Search results for 'tag:Conditionals tag:Past tenses' matching tags 'Conditionals' and 'Past tenses'

Sticky conditional question

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:20:20 GMT

Hi,
Some time back, I asked a question on conditionals and I think CalifJim said something like there are many tenses in the English language and it is possible to use any combination in the if and main clauses. Only three has names but any combination is possible. How can we check for correctness??

I think no. 1 would be definitely wrong. Ithink it should be "If you used ..., I would tell your mother." But others look very similar and I have an unable-to-explain-to-myself feeling that CalifJim might consider nos. 2-4 conditional and acceptable.

1.If you use a plastic spoon to hit your sister, I would tell your mother.
2. If you use a semicolon in the sentence again, I would point that out to your teacher.
3. If I use a plastic spoon to nudge your sister, would you tell that to your mother?
4. If I use a semicolon in the sentence again, would you point that out to my teacher?

See, I would have used a past tense in the if-clause to fit the second conditional model for all four like "If you used ..., I would ..." and dispense with the headache of having to think about their correctness; but afraid I might encounter them as a possibility in other people's writings and might find myself unable to figure out where they are coming from in terms of their conditional uses of the sentences.

Re: Using the past to refer to future

Mr Wordy — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:56:04 GMT

I am not the world's greatest expert on the technical analysis of conditional statements, but FWIW here are my thoughts.

"Were" here is not the past tense, if that's what your message title is referring to. It's a subjunctive.

1) ... are you planning to go to *** Museum with your friends? -- Fine.

2) ... were you planning to go to *** Museum with your friends? -- Fine; more cautious/polite/uncertain.

3) If you are going to *** Museum tomorrow... -- Fine.

4) If you were going to *** Museum tomorrow... -- Doesn't sound quite right to me. My guess as to why this is so when #2 sounds OK is that "planning to go" shifts us into the present, near present, or even past, while "going" here is definitely referring to the future (but this has nothing to do with "were" being the past tense; here it's not). Thus, "What would you do if you were going to the shops and suddenly..." seems OK because "going" is now just timeless hypothetical rather than future. If I wanted to use subjunctive "were" with a future sense of "going" then I would say "If you were to go to *** Museum tomorrow..."

wish possible?

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:51 GMT

Hi,
In a thread named "wish", Cool Breeze wrote this.

After I wish and if only the conditional is usually used to refer to the future:

Then, directing fIollowng that, he gave these two examples:

I wish / If only it wouldn't rain tomorrow.
I wish / If only he would come and meet me at the station.

I think normally, we use a past tense after the word like '"wish". Can we refer to the future in a past-tense setting??

I wish I could go to the park tomorrow. -- possible?

I wish he would go to the park tomorrow.-- possible?

Re: we could hear if anyone came along the trail.

CalifJim — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:51:40 GMT

The possibility that someone may or may not hear them along the trail later is not blocked at all by the statement that it was so quiet that you could have heard them come along the trail. I think the past tense was (It was so quiet) is throwing you off the track here, because it creates a backshift. Note the embedded first, second, and third conditionals below.

It is so quiet that if someone comes along the trail, we will (be able to) hear them. (1)

It is so quiet that if someone came along the trail, we would/could hear them. (2)

It was so quiet that if someone had come along the trail, we would/could have heard them. (3)

It is so quiet that if someone drops a pin, you will (be able to) hear it. (1)

It is so quiet that if someone dropped a pin, you would/could hear it. (2)

It was so quiet that if someone had dropped a pin, you would/could have heard it. (3)

None of these blocks the possibility that someone may come along the trail (or not) later or drop a pin (or not) later.

Re: Will,Would,Shall,Should

Marius Hancu — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:13:34 GMT

>"If I had more time, I could have traveled the world" or " If I were you, I would buy a house."

The first should be changed to:

"If I had more time, I could travel the world" to be used in present time.

It also must be changed to:

"If I had had more time, I could have traveled the world" to be used in past time.

> why did they use HAD and WERE? isn't that past tense?

Not in these cases. Here, they represent conditional (see the IF) or subjunctive mood forms. Same words, different meanings, depending on context.

Re: functionality of would and could in the present and past

CalifJim — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:37:49 GMT

Are they wrong since the modal usages lack the fundamental conditional uses of the modals 'would' and 'could'? Not sure what you're asking. The correct sequence of tenses applies to conditionals as well as to non-conditionals.

1. We are all watching in a sort of stunned silence waiting to see if we would be asked for money or if we are simply his audience.
No conditional element present, thus 'will' is correct? Right? will is correct, but not for the reason that no conditional element is present. will is correct because will goes with are.

2. While I am reading it, I could not help being concerned about young people in this country.
Same here too. No conditional element present, so 'can' is correct? Right or wrong? Same here. can is correct because it goes with the present tense I am.

So, except those modal uses like politeness for 'would', most modal uses of 'would' and 'could' involve conditional nature. Right or wrong? It depends on the text you're reading. You may find a text that uses would or could in non-conditional contexts quite often.

Could you please answer these? -- case of a modal use for politeness. True.

Generally, will and can go with the present tense; would and could go with the past tense. It doesn't matter whether they are used in a conditional pattern or not.

Henry wants to know where he can find a good restaurant. / Henry wanted to know where he could find a good restaurant.

Kate needs a dress that will make her look slim. / Kate wanted a dress that would make her look slim.

If they sign the contract, they can take possession of the car immediately. / If they signed the contract, they could take possession of the car immediately.

If he hurries, he will arrive on time. / If he hurried, he would arrive on time.

_________________

Occasionally would and could go with the present tense, but these should be regarded as special cases. For example, take the idiom would like to:

I would like to buy the coat which is on sale.

The would and could of politeness are also usually combined with the present tense.

Could you please help me move these books which are lying on the floor?

The conditions

Fandorin — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:59:04 GMT

Hi, everybody. Could you help me?

"Because if you do, I got a great guy for you".

Could anyone explain why in the main part of this is used Past Tense together with the Present one in the conditional Part?

Is it the First conditional or it might be an exception or something else?

Ans it would be great to get some examples.

Thanks a lot.

conditional and one more

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:25:03 GMT

Hi,

1. Is this conditional? No. 2 Conditional, perhaps? What troubles me is I think I saw all these variations in the if--clause. Is this possible?

I would appreciate it if you can call/would calll/could call/call this person as soon as possible.

2. Is this structure possible?

It's a little bit of maze.

I gather 'maze' is a noun and functions as a noun here.

3. I think you can say. "I find you sincere." By that, I assume the person meant to say "I think you are sincere."
Can it work for the past tense version? Which one is good?

I found you sincere yesterday. Or, I found you to be sincere yesterday.

Re: tense dilemma

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:31:35 GMT

Can someone explain these to me these please.

Can you tell me how this works?

1)It was hard. It was during a tough time I was dropped (dropped -- better?) out of college due to the pressure. I may have been too young. 1) We had moved our house. It was difficult. 2) I had married by then, and I was pregnant. I married a guy I knew for some time. He was funny. He worked for two years and changed the job.

By the time, no. 2 came about, I lost trek. I think I went back one with no. 1's past perfect, then stayed there with no. 2 with its past perfect and the words 'by then'. Then where did I come out with the sentences after no. 2? The same past like before no. 1 and 2 or doesn't matter? past is past, a story goes on??

2)He remarked that it must have seemed as if her promise would fail, or that her words came from a need, not from her heart.
Does this 'would fail' contain a sense of past conditional?

I think Mr. M said that 'would fail' is no.2 conditional; then again, I heard someone else say in this forum that a person should not use 'would' in the if-clause (I would consider 'if' and 'as if' to be synonomous). Did Mr. M say that 'would fail' in the if-clause is in the present and the whole sentence is no. 2 conditional? I thought a no. 2 conditional had a past tense in the if-clause?

Quick Reply

Re: tense dilemma

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:02:10 GMT

Thank you again.

Can you tell me how this works?

1)It was hard. It was during a tough time I was dropped (dropped -- better?) out of college due to the pressure. I may have been too young. 1) We had moved our house. It was difficult. 2) I had married by then, and I was pregnant. I married a guy I knew for some time. He was funny. He worked for two years and changed the job.

No. 1 only tells me that their moving of the house occured before the main time frame.

No. 2 is what baffles me: it seems to put the event of her marrying to the same time period as moving of the house. Then what? All back to a normal period? By then, I don't know if I am in the prior(??) main time frame or a new main time frame is established.
Could it be said? that it doesn't matter which main time frame it falls back in-- time differentiation needs not be made. (after all, past is past and pp is used to turn back the clock for that part only -- makes sense?)

2)He remarked that it must have seemed as if her promise would fail, or that her words came from a need, not from her heart.
Does this 'would fail' contain a sense of past conditional?

I think you said that 'would fail' is no.2 conditional; then again, I heard someone said in this forum that a person should not use 'would' in the if-clause (I would consider 'if' and 'as if' to be synonomous). Did say that 'would fail' in the if-clause is in the present and the whole sentence is no. 2 conditional? I thought a no. 2 conditional had a past tense in the if-clasuse?