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Cup cake Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

3rd Conditional: if - would

Hi Everyone,

My question at the moment relates to the following two sentences:

1. I would be in hospital right now, if I didn't take my medication.

2. I would have been in hospital by now, if I didn't take my medication.

Here's my question:

Why is sentence 1 not the best sentence?

Thanks.
CC. Emotion: smile
  

Top answer

Do you mean not the best (better) of those two? I don't agree.

— GPY

  • Do you mean not the best (better) of those two?
  • I don't agree.
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30 Answers
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Do you mean not the best (better) of those two? I don't agree.
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Hi GPY,

Ok. Maybe I should ask a different question.

When would you use the first sentence, and when would you use the second?

I'm always making extra stuff for my students of which this is one example.

I'm 100% sure someone will want to know - what is the difference between the two, and which one would 'I' choose; that being - a 'native speaker'.

I lik
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(1) means that the person has to take the medication regularly/habitually in order to avoid becoming ill. I don't think a comma is necessary.

I would not recommend (2). "I would have been in hospital by now" seems inherently awkward or ambiguous to me.
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Cup cake1. I would be in hospital right now, if I didn't take my medication.
This is a standard pattern. WOULD ... IF [past].
Cup cake2. I would have been in hospital by now, if I didn't take my medication.
Not the most common combination of tenses. More standard: WOULD HAVE ... IF [past perfect]

2. I would ha
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CalifJim2. I would have been in hospital by now, if I hadn't taken my medication.
One would surely say "I would be in hospital by now if I hadn't taken my medication".
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GPYOne would surely say
And which one is that?

CJ
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CalifJim And which one is that?CJ
I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by that.

I am saying that surely one would say "I would be in hospital by now if I hadn't taken my medication" in preference to "I would have been in hospital by now, if I hadn't taken my medication."
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GPYI'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by that.
It means I don't think your opinion is as universal as you do. The implication is that the one who would surely say it is you. I see nothing wrong with 'would have been' (nor with your version).

CJ
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BINGO!

Why wouldn't you say...'I would have been in hospital by now, if I hadn't taken my medication'?

I get the use of the past perfect though...

"I would be in hospital by now if I hadn't taken my medication'
and

"I would have been in hospital by now, if I hadn't taken my medication."
Both sentences sound correc
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CalifJimIt means I don't think your opinion is as universal as you do.
Oh, OK, I get what you mean. OK, well we will have to disagree. For me, "I would have been in hospital by now" strictly means that you would have been admitted to hospital on one or more past occasions, not necessarily including the present time, but most probably would be interpreted as an
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