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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

'had hoped'

can you please help me with something? would it be right to say- i had hoped you would be able to help me with this (when you are asking for help) or do you have to say- i hope you will help me with this?
  

Top answer

Hi, can you please help me with something? would it be right to say- i had hoped you would be able to help me with this (when you are asking for help) or do you have to say- i hope you will help me with this? I had hoped you would be able to help me with this.

  • Hi, can you please help me with something?
  • would it be right to say- i had hoped you would be able to help me with this (when you are asking for help) or do you have to say- i hope you will help me with this?
  • I had hoped you would be able to help me with this.
  • This is fine, but it is 'more advanced English'.
  • It is a more tentative, diffident and distant way of speaking.
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4 Answers
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Hi,

can you please help me with something? would it be right to say- i had hoped you would be able to help me with this (when you are asking for help) or do you have to say- i hope you will help me with this?

I had hoped you would be able to help me with this. This is fine, but it is 'more advanced English'.
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Hi

- I had hoped you would be able to help me with this

- I hope you will help me with this

- I hope you'll be able to help me with this

All are good. In the second and third, your request is neutral - you are hoping that the person can help you

In the first, you are saying that you feel the person should help you - you were expecting that they would
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So would it make sense in this context? -->

They want a couple of my teachers to fill up a form and answer some questions regarding my grades, etc. I had hoped you would be able to take some time out to fill up this recommendation form for me.
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Hi,

It's not wrong. But it sounds a litle more like a request between equals, rather than a request directed to an authority igure.

I suggest 'I would be very grateful if you would help me by filling out this recommendation form'.

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