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Antonija Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

If-clause

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-
  

Top answer

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15 Answers
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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
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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
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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
02u
02i
02br
00still,
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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
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00MrP0-
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0 PS: what's the object of "enjoy"? 0-
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0 I too wondered about the need for a direct object with 01font00enjoy02font00. 01i00Dictionary.com02i00 has an intransitive definition:01blockquote
01blockquote
11blockquote
21font31i30v.32i30 31i30intr.32i32font
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0 Daxiaoaixad,02br
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01font00"still, what is the exact difference between the hypothetical and the factual?"02font02br
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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
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0Hi, 02br
02br
00Thank you all.02br
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00The sentence goes like this02br
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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
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0(why don't they put the b... phone in silent mode?)0-
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0 I would say 01font01i00enjoy ***02i02font00, not01font00 01i00enjoy in ***02i02font00.02br
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00Yes, I would use either01blockquote
01blockquote
11font20what will the wife say if they don't
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0Or: "What would the wife say, should they not answer it?"02br
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00Isn't it also a possibility?0-

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