0
MustAsk Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Provided that + past

Hi,

Does it make sense to say:

You would have been all over this thing making money, provided that you had had the right information, of course.

I've been told that phrases such as 'given that' 'suppose that' 'provided that' cannot be used with verbs in the past tense.

Thanks!
  

Top answer

Your sentence doesn't sound quite right to me. I would use "if". Your rule may have some validity for "provided that", but I'm not sure about "given that".

— GPY

  • Your sentence doesn't sound quite right to me.
  • I would use "if".
  • Your rule may have some validity for "provided that", but I'm not sure about "given that".
  • I see no problem with a sentence like "Given that he was an old man, he was still remarkably fit".
  • "suppose that" seems a different type of phrase; I wonder if you mean "supposing that".
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
Your sentence doesn't sound quite right to me. I would use "if".

Your rule may have some validity for "provided that", but I'm not sure about "given that". I see no problem with a sentence like "Given that he was an old man, he was still remarkably fit". "suppose that" seems a different type of phrase; I wonder if you mean "supposing that".

"provided that" can, however, be used i
0
0
Thanks!

So the way I understand this is that

He would have been fine, provided that he had held his nerve. --- incorrect

but the sentence you provided

He would be fine, provided that he held his nerve ---- correct?
0
0
MustAskThanks!So the way I understand this is thatHe would have been fine, provided that he had held his nerve. --- incorrectbut the sentence you provided He would be fine, provided that he held his nerve ---- correct?
Yes. I can't really accept the first sentence as correct.
0

Related Questions