In Expressions^x, Clauses^x, Conditionals^x

Yes. Your backshift interpretation seems right to me. But I don't see this as necessarily subjunctive. It comes off as a sort of borderline case to my ear. CJ PS. ... would have baked you a cake is the usual expression!

I know 'would' carries many meanings. My problem is sometimes I find it difficult to tell which meaning the speaker uses. I think I understand its hypothetical usage, and in some contexts, its politeness usage. Below is a post that has several woulds I have trouble interpreting. I also...

Hi Goodman You often make some very good and legitimate points, but your decision to post that "he is in troubles again with the laws" sentence was an extremely unfortunate one. The websites you posted prove rather than disprove that. Did you notice that one of the guys who used the expression...

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...

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?)...

You want Could you also check the tenses? (Not with the adverb also between the verb and its object!) 1. Same tense sequence as I advised earlier. Sounds fine to me. 2. Sounds a little strange. I prefer Monday will be the first time I go there . (Simple present for scheduled future...

Thanks for your reply, MrP. 1. I would call it an exclamatory conditional. The main clause is left unspoken, but we can usually infer it, e.g. "if only she would contact me, I would be very happy". Ok, it’s a conditional with an unexpressed result but still a ‘conditional’ right? In...

The author used "could" to stand for the conditional structure (consequent clause) "would be able". The author felt that there was an implicit condition "if they were paying attention to the development of the characters (in the narrative)". " ... and then fall in love with someone that...

1) Would you please help me finish these clauses ? a) If you were to give him a chance… b) If you were to fail … c) Would it be possible to use the indicative “If you ARE …” in the above clauses ? What difference would it make? JTT: It's theoretically possible but the more common...

Dear teachers, As usual, I'll ask many questions in one post but you can, of course, answer them at your convenience. 1) Would you please help me finish these clauses ? a) If you were to give him a chance… b) If you were to fail … c) Would it be possible to use the indicative “If...