Past Action, Present Result vs. Imaginary

Question

Scenario: I'm returning my books back to the store but I have never used it.

Which conditional should I use and why? Does it matter?
1. If I had used it, it wouldn't be in good condition right now. (Past action , present result?)
2. If I used it, it wouldn't be in good condition right now. (This is imaginary?)

When I come to a situation like this, I'm confused with which one to use. What would you use?

Thanks.

MrPedantic · Accepted Answer

Hello Jack

Just to bring out the meaning, I'll change the product slightly. You have a burger in your hand:

1. If I had eaten the burger, it wouldn't be in my hand right now.

This form of conditional (IF type 3 + MAIN type 2, sometimes with a time adverbial) presents the effect of an imaginary past action on the present. You can also use the present progressive in the main clause:

1a. If I hadn't eaten that burger, I wouldn't now be throwing up.

Whereas:

2. If I ate this burger, it wouldn't be in my hand any more.

This standard type 2 conditional presents the imaginary effect of an imaginary action.

So in your case, you want #1, because you're talking about an immediate situation:

Shop Assistant: I'm sorry, Jack, I can only give you a refund on your book if you've never used it.

Jack: If I'd used the book, it wouldn't be in such good condition now. Look! the spine is unbroken, the pages still have that new-bookshop smell...It's obvious I've never used it!

Shop Assistant: Well, I'm convinced, Jack. No truly deceitful person could produce such an exemplary conditional statement. Here's your $12.95 refund...

Jack [turns to camera]: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should always choose:

Jack's Original Conditionals! Only $3.99 a box! Accept No Substitute!

{curtain}

MrP

Just the truth · Answer

Jack: If I'd used the book, it wouldn't be in such good condition now. Look! the spine is unbroken, the pages still have that new-bookshop smell...It's obvious I've never used it!

==

JTT: You want to be careful though, Jack, of the language used for any given situation. Just because something is grammatical doesn't mean that it is appropriate for the situation. "If I had 'done something', S would ..." can often sound strident or snide.

Shop Assistant: I'm sorry, Jack, I can only give you a refund on your book if you've never used it.

Jack: Well, as you can see, I've never used it. Look, the spine is unbroken, the pages still have that new-bookshop smell...It's obvious I've never used it.

It's also important to remember that you will encounter, in casual speech, the past tense form, as in,

"If I used it then it would ... "

Language is constantly undergoing a leveling process. Context will clue you in to the meaning.

Jack112 · Answer

http://lifestyle.sympatico.msn.ca/Home/ContentPosting_CL.aspx?contentid=991ac35ee1394bd0b31cbeac54d6b68e&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc

"He might be drawn back toward a younger time in his life," says James. "If you never felt that you had enough adventure, if you never had the fast car, if you never felt that you had what you wanted at that point in your life, when you start to review part way through your life, you might try to meet that need."

What do these mean?
1. If you never felt that you had enough adventure, you would feel the need for a fast car. (I have past tense here, what does the sentence mean?)
2. 1. If you had never felt that you had enough adventure, you would feel the need for a fast car. (I have past perfect here? What does the sentence mean?)

Thanks.

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello Jack

1. #1 is a type 2: if you never felt X, you would feel Y.

The condition is 'never feeling that you have enough adventure'. The consequence, if that condition is met, is that you want a fast car.

2. #2 is a mixed type 3/2: if you had never felt X, you would now be feeling Y.

The condition is the same.

I'm not sure there's much real difference between the two. Because 'feeling' is a state, rather than an action, it's difficult to say where 'feeling' begins and ends. So in #2, the 'not-enough-adventure feeling' is treated as if it preceded the 'wanting-a-fast-car feeling'. In #1, it isn't.

But I'd be interested to hear other people's views.

MrP

Past Action, Present Result vs. Imaginary

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