If I weren't late, I wouldn't be fired.

Question

If I weren't late, I wouldn't be fired.

This sentence tells us:
a. I am late and the boss will sack me.
or
b. I am late and the boss has sacked me already.

a is the paraphrase of the blue sentence or b?

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Haven't you received an answer here?

If not, that would have been a better place to additional questions about this very phrase.

Fivejedjon · Answer

BarbaraPAHaven't you received an answer here?

Don't be silly, Barb!

You should know by now that receiving an answer in one thread/forum/site is not going to stop sb asking an identical or very similar question elsewhere.

Grammarfreak · Answer

sb70012If I weren't late, I wouldn't be fired. This sentence tells us: a. I am late and the boss will sack me. or b. I am late and the boss has sacked me already.a is the paraphrase of the blue sentence or b?

There is a lot to be considered in the underlined sentence. Was passive voice used affectlively? Did you intend to use subjunctive or indicative, positive or negative logic etc. all came into play when you try to form an "if" idea that people can understand.
I see it like this. Tell me if I am wrong: The writer's current employment status is not 100% clear because of the way the words were put together in the sentence. However, based on the existing text, I take it that the red underlined said " if you came to work on time, you would not be fired" . if this indicative version is established, then the above could be read indicatively as " you have been fired because you were (habitually) late .

I don't believe neither A or B can be called "paraphrase" of the main sentence, which ( in my opinion) was constructed logically incorrect, not to mention the tense incompatibility. If you were indeed fired because your boss said your were late (so many times), and you believed this was untrue; then the sentence should be " If I were not late ( as often as he claimed), I should not be fired".

Just food for thoughts .....

Sb70012 · Answer

Barb, in the link you have mentioned, we have talked about mixed time conditional, not second conditional.

Sb70012 · Answer

Thank you grammarfreak.

CalifJim · Answer

sb70012If I weren't late, I wouldn't be fired. This sentence tells us: a. I am late and the boss will sack me. or b. I am late and the boss has sacked me already.a is the paraphrase of the blue sentence or b?

The sentence does not tell us "I am late". The sentence only considers the possibility of my being late. It has nothing to do with really being late. The sentence says that if I continue not to be late, I have nothing to fear with regard to the boss's firing me. It's a more hypothetical version of If I'm not late, I won't be fired.

CJ

Sb70012 · Answer

Calif, thank you. You said that the sentence doesn't tell us that "I'm late"
But why in this sentence:
If I knew the answer, I would tell you. (If I knew the answer = means that I don't know the answer.)
So, shouldn't we say that "If I weren't lat" means "I'm late"? I mean according to the above example?

Grammarfreak · Answer

CalifJimIt's a more hypothetical version of If I'm not late, I won't be fired.

Hi Jim,
This is the point I was trying to make, but of course much less eloguently. I am curious as to how you would perceive the original sentence. Has the firing already been done ?

Grammarfreak · Answer

sb70012So, shouldn't we say that "If I weren't lat" means "I'm late"? I mean according to the above example?

Sorry CJ for my getting ahead of you. sb70012: That's exactly why I said the negative logic mixing up with the conditional made the sentence unclear.

CalifJim · Answer

sb70012So, shouldn't we say that "If I weren't late" means "I'm late"? I mean according to the above example?

It does seem that way. In fact, there is another interpretation in which we can say

If I weren't late ~ I'm late

But in that case the rest of the sentence doesn't seem to fit.

If I knew the answer (but I don't know the answer), I would tell you (the answer) (but I don't tell you).
If I were not late (but I am late), I would not be fired (but I have been fired???)

One thing that makes the two incomparable is that "know" is a state, but "being late" is an occurrence.

Not every combination of clauses can be placed in every possible kind of conditional structure and make sense. I think this sentence is better as a first or third conditional.

If I am not late, I won't be fired.
If I had not been late, I wouldn't have been fired.

CJ

If I weren't late, I wouldn't be fired.

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions