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AlbertoTimakov Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Can "should" be used like "if"?
Hi guys! I have a sentence in which there is a strange construction for me.
"Fix was to keep the sharpest look-out on all travellers going through Suez, and {should} one of them seem suspicious, he was to shadow him until he recieved a warrant for his arrest"
Or "should" is just modal verb, associated with Fix?
What "should" is it in the sentence?
"Fix was to keep the sharpest look-out on all travellers going through Suez, and {should} one of them seem suspicious, he was to shadow him until he recieved a warrant for his arrest"
Or "should" is just modal verb, associated with Fix?
What "should" is it in the sentence?
Top answer
should one of them seem suspicious = if one of them seemed suspicious.
- should one of them seem suspicious = if one of them seemed suspicious.
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5 Answers
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should one of them seem suspicious = if one of them seemed suspicious.
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Hi
'Fix' could be the nickname for someone, or it could be acting as a noun, meaning a quick solution:
- Systems gone down but we can get you a fix in 30 minutes
- We called him Fix because, in tricky situations, he was our fixer
... ah, 'Fix' is followed by a pronoun here, so I think it's a nickname
Dave
'Fix' could be the nickname for someone, or it could be acting as a noun, meaning a quick solution:
- Systems gone down but we can get you a fix in 30 minutes
- We called him Fix because, in tricky situations, he was our fixer
... ah, 'Fix' is followed by a pronoun here, so I think it's a nickname
Dave
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Is it an idiom or a rule? Where is it from?
should one of them seem suspicious = if one of them seemed suspicious.
I'm sorry I have not said that Fix is a name.
dave_anon:
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Hi
In modern UK thriller fiction, Fix could well be a nickname. You didn't tell us it was Around the world in eighty days
In that case, 'fix' is a noun and, as said, it means 'solution':
- Our solution was to keep the sharpest look-out on all travellers ...
'Should is indeed a modal verb referring back to the travellers:
- Should one of them see
In modern UK thriller fiction, Fix could well be a nickname. You didn't tell us it was Around the world in eighty days
In that case, 'fix' is a noun and, as said, it means 'solution':
- Our solution was to keep the sharpest look-out on all travellers ...
'Should is indeed a modal verb referring back to the travellers:
- Should one of them see
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AlbertoTimakovIs it an idiom or a rule? Where is it from?If one of them seemed suspicious, he was to shadow him.
This is the normal second condition. There are other, more formal, ways of expressing the idea:
If one of them should seem suspicious, he was to shadow him.
If one of were to seem suspicious, he was to shadow
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