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Hans51 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Guessing or conditionals?
I need native English speakers' sense.
A: Someone was asking for you.
B: That must have been Tom.
I know this conversation is so easy to understand, but I need your help.
I know it is too silly to squeeze sentences into the sentence, but if possible, what sentences with "if" could be squeezed into the B's sentence?
"If someone had been asking for me, that must have been Tom."
"If that is true, that must have been Tom."
.
.
.
Or any possible sentences in your mind? Thank you for great help as usual.
PS. I am thinking that could, would, etc for present guessing and could / would have p.p, etc for past guessing also come from conditionals.
A: Someone was asking for you.
B: That must have been Tom.
I know this conversation is so easy to understand, but I need your help.
I know it is too silly to squeeze sentences into the sentence, but if possible, what sentences with "if" could be squeezed into the B's sentence?
"If someone had been asking for me, that must have been Tom."
"If that is true, that must have been Tom."
.
.
.
Or any possible sentences in your mind? Thank you for great help as usual.
PS. I am thinking that could, would, etc for present guessing and could / would have p.p, etc for past guessing also come from conditionals.
Top answer
Hi, "If someone had been asking for me" means you do not believe anybody was asking for you. If you say "has" instead of "had", you are at least open to believing that someone was asking for you. When I was taught "proper" English, many years ago, the teacher described this as "subjunctive mood".
- Hi, "If someone had been asking for me" means you do not believe anybody was asking for you.
- If you say "has" instead of "had", you are at least open to believing that someone was asking for you.
- When I was taught "proper" English, many years ago, the teacher described this as "subjunctive mood".
- One of the reasons to use the subjunctive is to express a "condition contrary to fact".
- " using "had" to make it clear that in fact I was not born a king.
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1 Answers
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Hi,
"If someone had been asking for me" means you do not believe anybody was asking for you. If you say "has" instead of "had", you are at least open to believing that someone was asking for you.
When I was taught "proper" English, many years ago, the teacher described this as "subjunctive mood". One of the reasons to use the subjunctive is to express a "condition contrary to fac
"If someone had been asking for me" means you do not believe anybody was asking for you. If you say "has" instead of "had", you are at least open to believing that someone was asking for you.
When I was taught "proper" English, many years ago, the teacher described this as "subjunctive mood". One of the reasons to use the subjunctive is to express a "condition contrary to fac
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