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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Modal "should" in conditional sentences

Hi. Would you say these are correct? Would you say no. 2 represents a more hyphothetical situation than no. 1 is?

If you give me some money, I should/would be happy.

If you gave me some money, I should/would be happy.
  

Top answer

Hi. -- No. #1 needs future forms: 1-- If you give me some money, I shall/will be happy.

  • Hi.
  • -- No.
  • #1 needs future forms: 1-- If you give me some money, I shall/will be happy.
  • 2-- If you gave me some money, I should/would be happy.
  • Note that the use of 'shall/should' for futurity is disappearing from contemporary English.
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8 Answers
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Hi. Would you say these are correct?-- No. #1 needs future forms:

1-- If you give me some money, I shall/will be happy.

2-- If you gave me some money, I should/would be happy.
Note that the use of 'shall/should' for futurity is disappearing from contemporary English.
Would you say no. 2 represents a more hyphothetical
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in my opinoin, the first sentence is right.
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Moli, I think you would be better to ask questions on our forums and not try to answer them until your English level is higher.
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I feel depressed at what you said.
I have been learning english hard these years.
I always think this is a good platform to show everyone's view to some question,maybe I am wrong.
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This is not a place to become emotional, and it is not a place to express 'views' except on the more contentious points of English linguistics; it is a place for learners to get help that they can feel confident in.

Our threads are open to anyone who can assist learners if s/he understands what is needed, but in the past couple of hours I have had to return to several threads just
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ok,I accept your suggestion.
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Thank you. I think, if I am not mistaken, I have seen a sentence that had the modal "should" in the main clause and a present tense in the if-clause. So what you are saying is all these are not correct?

If you have a flu, you should go see a doctor.

If you are sleepy, you should have a short break.

If you aren't happy, I think you should try to cheer you
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So what you are saying is all these are not correct?-- No, those 'should' are not the past of 'shall'; they carry a different meaning.

Also, is it correct to use the verb form "did" to express the hypothetical nature, I think, the second conditional sentences show? -- Yes, the past form of the verb expresses present hypothetical.
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