during

TakaWould anyone want to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation during the debt crisis era?

About 'during the debt crisis era', is it grammatically:

(1) an adjectival clause modifing 'a highly competitive nation'

or

(2) an adverbial clause, indicating when

?

MilkyThe meaning is:

Mexico during the debt crisis era/Mexico at the time when there was a debt crisis

Thanks, but that's not what I'm asking. I'm looking at it from the structual point of view.

I wonder if it is:

·describe X as Y+(adv: during the debt crisis era)

or

·describe X as Y. (X=Mexico Y=a highly com

I can imagine that it might seem ambiguous, if you didn't know anything about the "debt crisis era":

1. Would anyone want to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation || during the debt crisis era? =

1a. Would anyone, during the debt crisis era, want to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation?

2. Would anyone have wanted to describe Mexico as a highly

MrPedantic2. Would anyone have wanted to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation || during the debt crisis era? =

2a.Would anyone, during the debt crisis era, have wanted to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation?

But I think you would be more likely to expect #2, if you knew that the "debt crisis era" related to the past (e.g. if you wer

TakaWould anyone want to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation during the debt crisis era?

About 'during the debt crisis era', is it grammatically:

(1) an adjectival clause modifing 'a highly competitive nation'

or

(2) an adverbial clause, indicating when

?

Siggy
Seems to be that it is an adverbial clause indicating Mexico at a certain time.

Hmm...so 'would' of 'would any one want' is the simple past, or something else?

And how does it connect to 'describe what has happened since 1990 as aloss of competitiveness', which doesn't seem to be something about past?

Taka

MrPedantic2. Would anyone have wanted to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation || during the debt crisis era? =

2a.Would anyone, during the debt crisis era, have wanted to describe Mexico as a highly competitive nation?

But I think you would be more likely to expect #2, if you knew that the "debt crisis era" related

MrPedanticSorry, I meant you would expect #2 if the "during the debt crisis era" specified the time of "wanting to describe"!

?? I'm kind of confused, MrP. I meant to take your frist comment that way: if 'the during the debt crisis era' specified the time of 'wanting to describe', it should be #2. But as the original sentence is 'Would anyone want to des

Sorry, Taka – it was a little confusing.

I meant that, to the reader with no knowledge of the history, "during the debt crisis era" could relate to either the time of describing, or the time of being competitive. (Such a reader might not know that "debt crisis era" refers to the past.)

However, if you do know that "debt crisis era" refers to the past, you discount the pos

MrPedanticHowever, if you do know that "debt crisis era" refers to the past, you discount the possibility that it refers to the time of describing, because the first verb would then have been "Would anyone have wanted".

(So I too would choose the #3 meaning.)

MrP

OK. Good.

Now the final question. If the 'would' of this sentence (