Should she smoak my design upon Cynthia , I were in a fine pickle.
Which construction does this conditional sentence conform? I mean Why it is not I'd be in a fine pickle or ... .
Thanks for your answers
Which construction does this conditional sentence conform? I mean Why it is not I'd be in a fine pickle or ... .
Thanks for your answers
coloradayShould she smoak my design upon Cynthia , I were in a fine pickle.This is obviously not modern English. It was written long ago, in a time when the grammar of English allowed such structures.
Which construction does this conditional sentence conform to?
Archaic structure: Should he ask Lucy that question, she were quite embarrassed.
Modern equivalent: If he asked Lucy that question, she would be quite embarrassed.
CJ
CJ is quite right. Cf.
1. If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly (Macbeth)
The construction is:
2. If X were the case, Y were the case.
The form with the subjunctive in the main clause (the "apodosis") preceded the construction with "would":
3. If X were the case, Y would be the case.
It began to disappear from English texts in the 19th century; you will often encounter it in the plays of Congreve, Wycherley, etc., but seldom in modern texts.
MrP
1. If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly (Macbeth)
The construction is:
2. If X were the case, Y were the case.
The form with the subjunctive in the main clause (the "apodosis") preceded the construction with "would":
3. If X were the case, Y would be the case.
It began to disappear from English texts in the 19th century; you will often encounter it in the plays of Congreve, Wycherley, etc., but seldom in modern texts.
MrP
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Comments
There is no such verb as smoak.
Thanks
Sorry, but if you had indicated the source in your first post, I would have looked in my OED and given a different answer. "Smoak" is not listed in the on-line dictionaries. The style might also be regional, as well as old.
CJ
thank you