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Tinanam0102 Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

If I knew you were going out, I wouldn't have cooked all these.

Hi teachers,

A wife is preparing dinner in the kitchen for her family, she is just trying to finish all the touches on the dishes to be ready for the table. Her husband comes out of a bedroom and walks into the kitchen and tells his wife: I'm going back to the office, I have a client coming in late. So his wife goes into a rage and says: If I knew you were going out, I wouldn't have cooked all these.

My question is:

Back in school we were taught like: If I had known you were going out (which I didn't), I wouldn't have cooked all these. What's the difference here?

Would you also correct mistakes in this post?

Thanks

Tinanam
  

Top answer

Your school lessons are correct. The past perfect "had known" is a proper use of the subjunctive mood. However, in colloquial and informal English, the subjunctive has been slowly disappearing over many years.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Your school lessons are correct.
  • The past perfect "had known" is a proper use of the subjunctive mood.
  • However, in colloquial and informal English, the subjunctive has been slowly disappearing over many years.
  • You will hear and see variations such as the one in your example.
  • tinanam0102 I'm going back to the office because I have a client coming in late.
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7 Answers
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Your school lessons are correct. The past perfect "had known" is a proper use of the subjunctive mood. However, in colloquial and informal English, the subjunctive has been slowly disappearing over many years. You will hear and see variations such as the one in your example.
tinanam0102I'm going back to the office because I have a client coming in late.
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tinanam0102If I knew you were going out, I wouldn't have cooked all these.
I have no statistical evidence for it, but this substitution seems to be much more common with stative verbs, especially to be.

If I were you, I would've complained.
If he thought that, he would have told us so.
If I knew you were coming, I'd have baked
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Hi CJ,

If I were you, I would've complained.

If he thought that, he would have told us so.

If I knew you were coming, I'd have baked a cake.

If they were smart, they would've bought the tickets earlier.

Even if I had the money, I wouldn't have invested it in that fund.



I think I'm getting there. But you wouldn't say: If we
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tinanam0102I think I'm getting there. But you wouldn't say: If we "got" on the bus, we would have been killed in the accident. Instead, "had gotten" would be used.
I can't promise you that in the heat of a real conversation I absolutely would not say: If we got on the bus, we would have been killed in the accident. But most likely I would not say it
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Hi CJ,

I think I have it wrong. Does this stative verb include verbs like "see, hear, like, want, feel, love"?

Thanks

Tinanam
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tinanam0102I think I have it wrong.
Hmm. Why do you say that? You seem to have it right.
tinanam0102Does this stative verb include verbs like "see, hear, like, want, feel, love"?
Yes, but they can sometimes be used in a way where they are not clearly stative, as in sudden perceptions:

Suddenly I heard a loud no
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Hi CJ

Thank you very much.
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