Appropriate words

Question

Don't make me so afraid of showing anger that I lose my capacity to feel strongly about anything.

Is capability more appropriate to use here?

Which one is correct?

I wish I learned/had learned to swim when I was young.

Thanks!!!

Avangi · Accepted Answer

alda1119Don't make me so afraid of showing anger that I lose my capacity to feel strongly about anything.

Is capability more appropriate to use here? "Capacity" is the better word here. "Capability," by comparison, refers more often to acquired abilities, while "capacity" works best with inate feelings. Of course, we can acquire capacities, but I don't think "capability" works with feelings.

Which one is correct?

I wish I learned/had learned to swim when I was young. Simple past is not incorrect, but the past perfect is by far the more common choice.

With a sentence like, "I wish I bought milk yesterday," we'd be less likely to use "had bought," but again, both are correct.

Edit. The second example is wrong. There's a special rule called "The unreal past" which requires the past perfect tense.

So it must be, "I wish I had learned to swim when I was young." "I wish I had bought milk yesterday." Sorry about that. My instinct was to use "had," but I couldn't explain it. (Hey, I still can't!)

Lucky I decided to look it up!

Alda1119 · Answer

Glad you did!

Thanks A!

Yankee · Answer

Hi Alda

No, capability doesn't work well in that sentence. Capacity is much better.

In your second sentence, used the past perfect form (had learned) to refer to the unreal past:
I wish I had learned to swim when I was young.

Alda1119 · Answer

Thanks to you Yankee!
I wish you were always there whenever I needed you. - Is this correct?

Yankee · Answer

Hi Alda

alda1119I wish you were always there whenever I needed you.

Looks good! [Y]

Those "wish" sentences can be confusing, can't they?

Alda1119 · Answer

Yes, they can.
They always give me a headache.

Thanks again!!!

Avangi · Answer

Avangi There's a special rule called "The unreal past" which requires the past perfect tense.

Yankee In your second sentence, used the past perfect form (had learned) to refer to the unreal past:

I think it's worth mentioning that my terminology is incorrect here. I believe that when the unreal past "borrows" had learned from the past perfect tense, we cannot say that the clause is in the past perfect tense. Yankee's useage, "past perfect form," is the correct way to put it.

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