0hello,02br 02br 00Should I write ''if they didn't or don't answer it''?02br 02br 01i00They cannot lie back and enjoy without the cellular phone on the 00night table00, because, 01u00what would the wife say if they didn’t answer it?02u00 02i0-
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0 I would word the sentence in one of two ways, depending on whether the01font00 if02font00 clause is intended to be hypothetical or factual.02br 02br 00Hypothetical: 01i00They cannot lie back and enjoy without the cellular phone on the night table, because 01u00what would the wife say if they were to not ans
0 Hi,02br 02br 00I think the first sentence should be:02br 02br 00Hypothetical: 01i00They cannot lie back and enjoy without the cellular phone on the night table, because 01u00what would the wife say if they 01b00would not 02b00answer it.02br 02br 02u02i02br 00still,
0I'd stick with "didn't", in this context. "Will" + "don't" makes it seem more immediate; but unless the rest of your text similarly uses the present tense, it may stick out a little.02br 02br 00MrP0-
0 Daxiaoaixad,02br 02br 01font00"still, what is the exact difference between the hypothetical and the factual?"02font02br 02br 00In a hypothetical conditional, one is holding the object at a distance, considering its possibilities. He or she is physically and emotionally detached. For example:01blockquote
0Hi, 02br 02br 00Thank you all.02br 02br 00The sentence goes like this02br 02br 01i00They cannot lie back and enjoy in *** without the cellular phone on the00 00night table00,00 because, what would the wife say if they didn’t answer it? 02i02br 02br 00So, the object is ***.Sorry, I left