Grammar

Question

If the attempts to make antibiotics had not succeded, what kind of a world exists today.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct?

What I mean is the general situation of mens' health is greatly improved today thanks to the discovery of antibiotics. It was not a long time ago a British scientist Fleming discovered pencillin. , We have immensly benefited by antibiotics.

Is my sentence correct? Someone may alter the sentence; something like 'what kind of a world would exists today'. Do I have to write 'the antibiotics' ?

I am not sure about the grammar.

Ed shaw · Accepted Answer

What kind of world would exist today if the attempts to make antibiotics had not succeded?

This way, it is clear from the start that the sentence is a question.
"What would exist?" poses the question as a supposition.

Andrei · Answer

I would agree with your sentence. How about the following sentence? What makes the difference between your sentence and the following?

What kind of world would exist today if the attempts to make antibiotics were not succeded?

Ed shaw · Answer

1) The sentence, "What kind of world would exist today if the attempts to make antibiotics had not succeded?" uses the past perfect tense; i.e., "...attempts had suceeded." The past perfect indicates actions completed by a specific time in the past. The time of the successful creation of antibiotics sets the time at which the action had been created.
For example, "She had looked up the answer before she spoke."

2) In the second sentence, "What kind of world would exist today if the attempts to make antibiotics were not successful?", the attitude of the speaker has shifted to the subjunctive mood, expressing the possibility of a condition contrary to fact. This is an "if...were" construction. The verb is 'were,' not 'succeed.' The sentence is made complex as a result of the dependent clause having been incorporated into a question, and by the fact that we are looking back, posing the possibility of a resulting condition we know is contrary to fact, and asking for an assessment based on the occurance of that contrary condition. This really seems to me a little advanced for an ESL class, but that's just an opinion.
In this case, the question asks "What kind of world would exist today if the attempts were not successful or if the attempts had not been successful." The past tense of the subjunctive uses "were" for all subjects calling for a form of the verb "to be."
Notice how the past perfect of sentence number one fits the requirements of the thought better than use of the subjunctive mood.
Most contemporary writers and speakers limit their forays of the subjunctive mood to a fairly strict set of circumstances, avoiding constructions similar to the one we are discussing.

Anrei, perhaps you might be willing to share just how this question has arisen. Is this from a lesson book?

Andrei · Answer

Ed

Your answers are very inforamtive. I really appreciate it. I have learned something more after reading your answers.

Grammar

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