In Conditionals^x, Verbs^x, Regards^x

Hi all,Thanks in advance for your help in answering this question. I'm trying to explain to a non-native English speaker that a certain usage is either incorrect or awkward, but I find myself unable to do so. At this point, I'm just confusing myself in trying to explain it.So her...

Thank you, Guru Geek. I appreciate your support.My teacher's emphatic claim is that for instruction manuals, such as the assignment for which this introductory statement was drafted, the construction if you do..., you get... is how her previous editors have instructed her. She hammers home the...

Anonymous wrote:Hi everybody,I have a question about the Negative Form of "Simple Present Tense", please help me.Can I use "I don't read the book right now" to express the meaning of "I'm not reading the book right now"?Thanks a lot in advance. *********** Hi Here is a summary about the...

Let's spread out the issue a little bit: ____ O ____ Type 2. Basic forms. a. If we caught the 10 o'clock train, we would (could, might, etc.) get there by lunch-time. b. If I came into a fortune, I would give up smoking. c. If I knew how it worked, I could tell...

Sabyakgp wrote: Dear Friends, I would like to how "Would" can be used in future perfect as a modal verb. For Example. Analysts predicts that world population would have risen considerably by 2010. (Prediction can be wrong, so using "Would" instead of "Will" means this sentence is less...

Clive wrote:Hi, If he called, tell him I'll be back soon If you said that to me, I would have no idea what you meant. I certainly wouldn't see it as referring to any kind of future calling. It sounds like you are telling me "if he called in the past, tell him (when? next time he calls?) that...

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. ...

Inchoateknowledge wrote:With regard to ministerial resignations, it would appear that a recognisable pattern is emerging, somewhat reminiscent of the way things are done trans-atlantically.Does would express here uncertainty? Does it make the sentence sound blunt?Yes, it provides uncertainty,...

I will take you up on your words. "I've never seen things like 'must not have contained' in any grammar book." Buy a decent book then. 'Must have been' exists so its negation: must not have been exists too. Replace the word "been" for "contained". Before you give up English revise...