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Tomeng Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Does second conditional always need a hint?
Hello,
I came across a question and can not decide whether to use second conditional or first conditional. It looks like it is a first conditional but on the other hand we can evaluate it as a second conditional.
Here's the question:
"What _______will you do___________________ (you / do) if you ___fail____________ (fail) the exam?"
Can we use second conditional here? Imagining that the person actually failed the exam. Do we need a hint/clue that states the person has failed? Can we use both of the conditional types regarding not clear what the speaker says? We don't know the person has failed or not.
thanks
I came across a question and can not decide whether to use second conditional or first conditional. It looks like it is a first conditional but on the other hand we can evaluate it as a second conditional.
Here's the question:
"What _______will you do___________________ (you / do) if you ___fail____________ (fail) the exam?"
Can we use second conditional here? Imagining that the person actually failed the exam. Do we need a hint/clue that states the person has failed? Can we use both of the conditional types regarding not clear what the speaker says? We don't know the person has failed or not.
thanks
Top answer
tomeng I came across a question and cannot decide whether to use second conditional or first conditional. That often happens when all you have is an isolated sentence. Usually you can only decide when it comes up in the course of a conversation.
- tomeng I came across a question and cannot decide whether to use second conditional or first conditional.
- That often happens when all you have is an isolated sentence.
- Usually you can only decide when it comes up in the course of a conversation.
- In the case at hand, is an exam actually imminent?
- If so, it seems a first conditional is appropriate.
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2 Answers
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tomengI came across a question and cannot decide whether to use second conditional or first conditional.That often happens when all you have is an isolated sentence. Usually you can only decide when it comes up in the course of a conversation.
In the case at hand, is an exam actually imminent? If so, it seems a f
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