In Expressions^x, Clauses^x, Modals^x

In other words, "I wanted to know if the train would arrive on time" is wrong? I consider it correct because if does not denote condition in the sentence. CB

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses will is the mark of the Future of the Present. would is the mark of the Future of the Past. This reminder applies to both "Futures". It means: No will or would in subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions such as when, before, after , etc. ...

What I neglected to point out is that the instructions from your web site specify the use of simple past within the clause which starts with a time expression. "We would go out for dinner" is a separate clause. So I still see no inconsistency. It would clarify matters if you would say...

This seems consistent. "Already" is an example of a time expression, so simple past is required. "I already told Mark that when he arrived , we would go out for dinner. Perhaps you're concerned about the final clause. (They probably shouldn't have used that example.)...

Hi, I was brushing on my knowledge of the modal "would" with the help of the Englishpage website and got stuck on what it is saying here on its tutorial on "would". REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses Like all future forms, Future in the Past cannot be used in clauses beginning...

It's not subjunctive. It's the modal use of need . Modal need can occur in non-assertive contexts. Modals never take the s in the first person singular of the present tense the way non-modal verbs do. In that way they resemble subjunctive forms, which are also missing the s . The...

Kilimanjaro wrote: Hello Cool Breeze, This sentence is taken from Michael SWAN's Practical English Usage. He says "might" can be used in such contexts Hi Kilimanjaro Yes, I know it's from that book. You mentioned it in a previous post. I didn't say it was right or wrong in my opinion. I...

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...

Interlude 1 Apparently, speaker-oriented modality does not inform about conditions on the agent. So, if you feel that "I must give up smoking" is deontic, and that "I" is the agent, who would the patient be in such a sentence? You've already agreed with this paraphrase: ...

On further reflection, I believe that I have heard some Americans use the structure had've ( had have ), and I've seen it spelled had of . In any case, the origin of the structure has me curious. If we include the modals will and would , the eight standard (active voice,...