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Laborious Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Conditionals
Hi, Would you kindly give your opinions on the following?
Scenario - John is talking to one of his friends(let's assume his friend's name is Jill) about the match his (Jill's) team played yesterday.
John: Hey Jill! how'r you and what happened yesterday? Did your team win the match? And how much did you score?
[Unfortunately, Jill's team didn't win and he says....... ]
Jill: No we didn't win and I couldn't participate in the game because of an injury. But If I had been able to participate, I would have shown them what I am (or were?). and don't worry, Now If I ever got a chance to play against them, I would show them what I am.
My doubts are:
-Can we say "could have" in place of "had been able to" in the first If-clause? would it grammatically correct? Or would it be more appropriate to say "If I had participated, I would have..." ?
Thank you all.
Scenario - John is talking to one of his friends(let's assume his friend's name is Jill) about the match his (Jill's) team played yesterday.
John: Hey Jill! how'r you and what happened yesterday? Did your team win the match? And how much did you score?
[Unfortunately, Jill's team didn't win and he says....... ]
Jill: No we didn't win and I couldn't participate in the game because of an injury. But If I had been able to participate, I would have shown them what I am (or were?). and don't worry, Now If I ever got a chance to play against them, I would show them what I am.
My doubts are:
-Can we say "could have" in place of "had been able to" in the first If-clause? would it grammatically correct? Or would it be more appropriate to say "If I had participated, I would have..." ?
Thank you all.
Top answer
Note: In the US, Jill is a woman's name. This is fine: But i f I had been able to participate, I would have shown them what I can do. I would have scored at least three goals, and our team would have beaten them soundly.
- Note: In the US, Jill is a woman's name.
- This is fine: But i f I had been able to participate, I would have shown them what I can do.
- I would have scored at least three goals, and our team would have beaten them soundly.
- And don't worry.
- Now if I ever get a chance to play against them, I would show them how good I am at the game.
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6 Answers
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Note: In the US, Jill is a woman's name.
This is fine:
But if I had been able to participate, I would have shown them what I can do. I would have scored at least three goals, and our team would have beaten them soundly.
And don't worry. Now if I ever get a chance to play against them, I would show them how good I am at the game.
This is fine:
But if I had been able to participate, I would have shown them what I can do. I would have scored at least three goals, and our team would have beaten them soundly.
And don't worry. Now if I ever get a chance to play against them, I would show them how good I am at the game.
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AlpheccaStarsBut if I had been able to participate, I would have shown them what I can do. I would have scored at least three goals, and our team would have beaten them soundly.Hi dear Ma'am and thank you so much for replying. (is it appropriate to use 'Hi' when I am considering someone as my teacher? or having a conversation with a teacher?)
Would
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LaboriousHi dear Ma'am and thank you so much for replying. (is it appropriate to use 'Hi' when I am considering someone as my teacher? or having a conversation with a teacher?)Sure you can use "hi". Just avoid "hey" and "dear." Dear is used as a set phrase in letter salutations (dear Mr. Smith...) , for loved ones (my dear old mother) or between lovers.
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AlpheccaStarsYou can. It just a choice. If I had participated, I could have helped my team win by scoring at least three goals.Thank you AlpheccaStars, Actually I meant to say whether or not it was possible to use "could have" in the if-clause.
Can I make the sentence like this?
"If I could have participated, I could have helpe
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LaboriousIs it possible to have "could have" in both parts of the sentence?Yes, I think so. It sounds fine to me, But I hear this most often in "if only" statements of regret:
If only I could have played in the game. I could have scored three goals, and our team would have won!
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Wow!
How come you have solutions for each and every problem!
Anyway, thanks to you for helping me with this one. Really appreciate! Fond of you!
Laborious.
How come you have solutions for each and every problem!
Anyway, thanks to you for helping me with this one. Really appreciate! Fond of you!
Laborious.
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