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New2grammar Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

past tense and if

01. If I see her, I will show her my new bike. =>Conditional #1 - it means that it is 01font00likely/possible02font00 I will see her.02br
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002. If I saw her, I would show her my new bike => Conditional #2 - it means that it is 01font00unlikely02font00 I will see her.02br
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00My question is if I narrate my story using past tense and would like to give my audience the meaning of sentence #1 (it is 01font00likely02font00 I will see her"), what should I do? My concern is using past tense would give my audience the second impression (it is 01font00unlikely02font00 I will see her). 02br
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01a05000 02a02br
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00Please help! 0230hrefhttp://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences
  

Top answer

02font 02br 02br 01font 001) You 01b 01u 00say02u 02b 00 that if you 01b 01u 00see02u 02b 00 her you 01b 01u 00will show02u 02b 00 her your new bike. 02font 0-

— Myprofe

  • 02font 02br 02br 01font 001) You 01b 01u 00say02u 02b 00 that if you 01b 01u 00see02u 02b 00 her you 01b 01u 00will show02u 02b 00 her your new bike.
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6 Answers
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1font00In reported speech it is understood that the verb tense is the result of changing from direct to indirect speech.02font02br
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01font001) You 01b01u00say02u02b00 that if you 01b01u00see02u02b00 her you 01b01u00wi
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0I don't think I get what you are saying. I do know what is reported speech but I don't see how that is related to my question. Please clarify to me. 05002br
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00Meanwhile, let's revisit my original sentence.02br
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01i00If I see her, I will show her my new bike.02i02br
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00If I use this sentence in a story lik
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0 I would not get too worried about the likelihood factor here. Even though the backshift occurs, the likelihood remains that of the original tenses.02br
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00 But on another point, there is something unidiomatic about the example itself. It doesn't seem that that last sentence comes up very naturally there. It seems to be floating with respect to time and needs a
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01cite10CalifJim12cite10I would not get too worried about the likelihood factor here. Even though the backshift occurs, the likelihood remains that of the original tenses.11font10 If I would like to give my readers the impression of unlikeliness in the past, how should I rephrase my sentence?12font
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0 To show less likelihood in the past, use 01i00might02i00 instead of 01i00would02i00. Other words can also be used in the context to indicate the decreased likelihood of seeing Mary, as shown below. But accumulating such expressions of unlikelihood can get absurd, as in the last example. 05002br
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01i00It occu
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0CalifJim, thanks for clarifying this. I wonder why it is not mentioned in Conditional Types notes that they are only effective in expressing likeliness if there's no backshift in time. 05000 I think that's why Gurus like you are essential to learners.02br
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00Thanks a lot and Merry Christmas!010id6
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