May i say so?

Question

Hi, could you verify if these sentences are appropriate grammatically and make sense.

1.Is it so that you don't want to earn more?
2.The general was going to place the artillery where he should place the cavalry.
3.Look, it is him who i talked you about yesterday.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

1.Is it so that you don't want to earn more?Sounds odd and I don't understand the meaning clearly. How about 'Don't you want to earn more?'

2.The general was going to place the artillery where he should place the cavalry. The general was going to place the artillery where he should have placed the cavalry.

3.Look, it is him who i talked you about yesterday. This raises some tricky grammatical problems, but we commonly avoid them by saying, more naturally, something like 'Look, he's the one I talked to you about yesterday'.

Best wishes, Clive

Aperisic · Answer

Buzel
Hi, could you verify if these sentences are appropriate grammatically and make sense.

1.Is it so that you don't want to earn more?
2.The general was going to place the artillery where he should place the cavalry.
3.Look, it is him who i talked you about yesterday.

1.Is it true that you don't want to earn more?

so is too short but its meaning is too important

2.The general was going to place the artillery where he should place the cavalry.

If he did not place cavalry at the end

2.a. The general was going to place the artillery where he should have placed the cavalry.

If maybe he did place cavalry or you do not know

2.b. The general was going to place the artillery where he should place the cavalry.

(This sentence may be just the past form of

The general is going to place the artillery where he should place the cavalry.)

3.a. Look, it is him about who I talked you yesterday.

Hm, use this if there is something that links today and yesterday in your talk

3.b. Look, it is him about who I've talked you yesterday..

Buzel · Answer

2. The general was going to place the artillery where he should have placed the cavalry.

But doesn't this mean that the general had already denied placing the artillery there?

I'll come from another side. Can bare 'should' be used in the past otherwise than in reported speach? And if not, how can we express the idea of necessity pointed from the past into the future?

For example:

(Present) A man is sick. He has fever. It is clear that his family should call the doctor.

(Past) A man was sick. He had fever. It was clear that his family should(?) call the doctor.

Wouldn't "It was clear that his family should have called the doctor" mean that they had failed or denied to call the doctor?

I understand that all i've written may seem nonsense to you, then at least answer the question about bare should in the past.

Thanks

Buzel · Answer

I think i recieved an more detailed answer while i was writing mine. Thank you.

Clive · Answer

Hi again.

(Present) A man is sick. He has fever. It is clear that his family should call the doctor.

(Past) A man was sick. He had fever. It was clear that his family should(?) call the doctor.

Wouldn't "It was clear that his family should have called the doctor" mean that they had failed or denied to call the doctor? Basically, yes. They didn't call the doctor.

If a context where they called, or we don't know, I agree that you could say It was clear that his family should call the doctor. You could also say it another way, eg It was clear that his family had to / ought to call the doctor.

I used 'should have' in your original example about the general, because it sounded to me like he didn't do it, he didn't place the cavalry in that place.

Best wishes, Clive

Buzel · Answer

Which of these are not appropriate?

Thank you for the help to (towards?) us to organize this event

Thank you for the help to (towards?) us in organizing this event

Thank you for helping us organize this event

Thank you for the help in the organisation of this event

Thank you for the help in the organisation this event

Marius Hancu · Answer

Thank you for helping us organize this event.
Thank you for the help in the organization of this event.

are the only ones which are OK, IMO.

Aperisic · Answer

BuzelThank you for helping us organize this event

Thank you for the help in the organisation of this event

May i say so?

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