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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
"had I had" - problems with a sentense in the past tense
Hello everyone,
I hope you can help with tenses in this sentense.
The text is in the past tense. The character speaking has just mentioned she quit from a job at a bar.
"It was a sleazy bar where I had worked as a bartender, and from which I should have quit exactly one week before I started working there, had I had a spine."
1. "I had worked" - because she'd already quit. Is that right?
2. "had I had a spine" - can you say that? Is the tense correct?
3. "I should have quit, had I had a spine" - Something feels wrong, it feels like it should be "I would have quit", but I want her to mean "I should have quit".
Thank you so much for your time!
I hope you can help with tenses in this sentense.
The text is in the past tense. The character speaking has just mentioned she quit from a job at a bar.
"It was a sleazy bar where I had worked as a bartender, and from which I should have quit exactly one week before I started working there, had I had a spine."
1. "I had worked" - because she'd already quit. Is that right?
2. "had I had a spine" - can you say that? Is the tense correct?
3. "I should have quit, had I had a spine" - Something feels wrong, it feels like it should be "I would have quit", but I want her to mean "I should have quit".
Thank you so much for your time!
Top answer
" Had I had a spine = If I had been willing to stand up for myself = If I had been braver
- " Had I had a spine = If I had been willing to stand up for myself = If I had been braver
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1 Answers
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This use of "had I" means "if I had."
Had I had a spine = If I had been willing to stand up for myself = If I had been braver
Had I had a spine = If I had been willing to stand up for myself = If I had been braver
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