If only with a few verbal jabs to cut her down
Hello, everyone,
“Chances are good he’ll behave amicably toward her and manage to regulate his green-eyed monster internally. Because he has access to his feelings of envy and inferiority, he also has the ability to sway these feelings in a more positive direction. Were he unable to admit that his coworker’s success rubbed his ego the wrong way, he may have felt tempted to attack her, if only with a few verbal jabs to cut her down - even in front of others.”
About the underlined part I have two questions below;
1) When I assume there are two conditional clauses – the first one is “Were he ... the wrong way” and the second clause is “if only with ... others”, and for the latter one, the writer inserted “if only” before the adverbial phrase for the verb “to attack“ - “with a few verbal jabs to cut her down - even in front of others”, you think it is correct grammatically to insert “if only” in order to make the second conditional clause?
2) Since I think “may have felt” should be amended into “might have felt” in the main clause of a conditional one, you agree with it?
I would appreciate if you kindly advise your valuable opinions.
* source;
Top answer
deepcosmos you think it is correct grammatically to insert “if only” in order to make the second conditional clause? Yes. "If only" is a set phrase meaning, in this context, that what follows is a minimal thing.
- deepcosmos you think it is correct grammatically to insert “if only” in order to make the second conditional clause?
- Yes.
- "If only" is a set phrase meaning, in this context, that what follows is a minimal thing.
- " deepcosmos 2) Since I think “may have felt” should be amended into “might have felt” in the main clause of a conditional one, you agree with it?
- Americans don't observe any grammatical difference between "may" and "might" in contexts like this one.
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deepcosmosyou think it is correct grammatically to insert “if only” in order to make the second conditional clause?
Yes. "If only" is a set phrase meaning, in this context, that what follows is a minimal thing. To paraphrase, "he may have felt tempted to attack her, even though the form of attack he would employ was nothing more than few verbal jabs to cut
0Hi, everyone,
I assume the underlined part above is a mixed construction where the first half is the second conditional - Were he unable . . . the wrong way and the last half is an indicative one - he may have felt tempted . . .in front of others, which is the first time for me to see.
If my parse is correct, I would like to invite your opinions a
0deepcosmosWere he unable to admit that his coworker’s success rubbed his ego the wrong way, he may have felt tempted to attack her, if only with a few verbal jabs to cut her down - even in front of others.”
I would not consider the if only clause the mark of another true conditional here. Rather, it's an idiomatic way of saying something like 'but i
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