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MrPernickety Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
Gramma question #2
Hi,
I've stumbled across this dialogue:
A: You sent her to die
B: And I wouldn't have had to if you didn't screw up.
I wonder why speaker B used "didn't screw up" in leu of "hadn't screwed up", as it is quite obvious that the screwing up took place in the past.
From a native speaker's viewpoint, "didn't screw up" referring to the past is a natural choice in that sentence? Or should it be "hadn't screwed up"?
Thanks !
I've stumbled across this dialogue:
A: You sent her to die
B: And I wouldn't have had to if you didn't screw up.
I wonder why speaker B used "didn't screw up" in leu of "hadn't screwed up", as it is quite obvious that the screwing up took place in the past.
From a native speaker's viewpoint, "didn't screw up" referring to the past is a natural choice in that sentence? Or should it be "hadn't screwed up"?
Thanks !
Top answer
Hadn't screwed up is the correct tense. Didn't would only make sense if A screwed up repeatedly and constrantly. If you didn't ***** up (all the time).
- Hadn't screwed up is the correct tense.
- Didn't would only make sense if A screwed up repeatedly and constrantly.
- If you didn't ***** up (all the time).
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4 Answers
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Hadn't screwed up is the correct tense.
Didn't would only make sense if A screwed up repeatedly and constrantly.
If you didn't ***** up (all the time).
Didn't would only make sense if A screwed up repeatedly and constrantly.
If you didn't ***** up (all the time).
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You and GG are correct. The problem is that we have a large number of native speakers (at least in the US) who have not learned to use the pluperfect tense.
Very little hard-core grammar is taught in US public schools, a problem since the early 60's. Another structure that doesn't get corrected early on is that of the 'double-wooda'. [If i would have (would of, wooda) known you were
Very little hard-core grammar is taught in US public schools, a problem since the early 60's. Another structure that doesn't get corrected early on is that of the 'double-wooda'. [If i would have (would of, wooda) known you were
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MrPernickety: Grammar Geek's answer really helped me, too. Here is a sentence that might be helpful: I WOULD HAVE GONE to last night's party if I DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK so much. = But I have to work a lot each day.
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Thanks, guys !
I guess that native speaker who uttered that sentence was not up on what the pluperfect tense was
I guess that native speaker who uttered that sentence was not up on what the pluperfect tense was
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