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Navitasan Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

If half of them hadn't

1) If half of them had not left the fight, things would be different.

Can't this sentence be used in two different contexts:
a) Half of them did leave the fight. If they hadn't, things would be different.
b) They left the fight. If only half of them had not left the fight, things would be different.

Gratefully,
Navi.
  

Top answer

Not really. Only someone with a perverse desire to dig into the sordid underbelly of such a sentence would come up with b . If b is truly meant, then the speaker has violated one of the felicity conditions of natural conversation, namely, to tell everything that's needed to convey the intended message.

— CalifJim

  • Not really.
  • Only someone with a perverse desire to dig into the sordid underbelly of such a sentence would come up with b .
  • If b is truly meant, then the speaker has violated one of the felicity conditions of natural conversation, namely, to tell everything that's needed to convey the intended message.
  • "only" or "even" after "if" would be needed to avoid violating this condition.
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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Not really. Only someone with a perverse desire to dig into the sordid underbelly of such a sentence would come up with b. Emotion: smile
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