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Dear all,Kindly tell me whether the following expressions using modal auxiliaries are possible and make sense. I would also like to know whether the following expressions are common in the conversation and writing of the native English speakers.1) Luckily my dad was not at home, or else I would have to study. (Past)2) I would have to go to the head office next month. (Present)3) Fortunately, Peter helped me, otherwise, I would have had to sell my car.4) Robinson would have had to go to school.  (Please tell me the meaning).5) Robinson may have had to go to school.  (Please tell me the meaning).6) Robinson could have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).7) You could have had to learn German. (Please tell me the meaning).8) You should have had to attend the meeting. (Please tell me the meaning)Thank you.

GPY · Accepted Answer

cat navy 4251) Luckily my dad was not at home, or else I would have had to study. (Past)

OK as amended.

cat navy 4252) I would have to go to the head office next month. (Present)

Needs more context, most probably an implied "if" condition.

cat navy 4253) Fortunately, Peter helped me, otherwise, I would have had to sell my car.

OK except too many commas.

cat navy 4254) Robinson would have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).

Needs context. It could be expressing the speaker's belief that he was obliged to go to school, or there could be an implied condition.

cat navy 4255) Robinson may have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).

It is possible that he was obliged to go to school.

cat navy 4256) Robinson could have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).

Needs context. It could mean that it is possible that he was obliged to go to school (and if so presumably did go). It could mean that if some condition had been fulfilled then he would have been obliged to go, but the condition was not fulfilled so he did not.

cat navy 4257) You could have had to learn German. (Please tell me the meaning).

Same pattern as (6), but in practice the first of the two interpretations is unlikely because the person being addressed presumably knows whether or not they were obliged to learn German.

cat navy 4258) You should have had to attend the meeting. (Please tell me the meaning)

Seems to mean you ought to have been obliged to attend the meeting (but in fact you weren't obliged to attend, and presumably did not go).

Please note that it can be hard even for native speakers to immediately think of all possible uses of modal verb examples when these are presented with no context. In real life we encounter these in a context which directs us towards the correct interpretation.

Clive · Answer

Kindly tell me whether the following expressions using modal auxiliaries are possible and make sense. I would also like to know whether the following expressions are common in the conversation and writing of the native English speakers.

1) Luckily my dad was not at home, or else I would have had to study.

2) I would have to go to the head office next month.

3)

1) Luckily my dad was not at home, or else I would have had to study.

2) I would have to go to the head office next month.

3) Fortunately, Peter helped me, otherwise no comma I would have had to sell my car.

4) Robinson would have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning). In some hypothetical situation in the past, it would have been necessary for him to go to school.

5) Robinson may have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning). At some point in the past, it might have been necessary for him to go to school.

6) Robinson could have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning). At some point in the past, it's possible that he might havebeen rquired to go to school.e

7) You could have had to learn German. (Please tell me the meaning). Similar to #6.

8) You should have had to attend the meeting. (Please tell me the meaning) You shoud have had an obligation to attend thre meeting.

Kindly tell me whether the following expressions using modal auxiliaries are possible and make sense. I would also like to know whether the following expressions are common in the conversation and writing of the native English speakers.Yes, they are all possible, common, and make sense..

1) Luckily my dad was not at home, or else I would have had to study. (Past)

2) I would have to go to the head office next month. (Present)I n some hypothetical situation next month, it would be necessary for me to go to school.

3) Fortunately, Peter helped me, otherwise no comma I would have had to sell my car.

This is getting a bit repetitious. Can you try to figureout the rest?

4) Robinson would have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).

5) Robinson may have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).

6) Robinson could have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).

7) You could have had to learn German. (Please tell me the meaning).

8) You should have had to attend the meeting. (Please tell me the meaning)

CalifJim · Answer

cat navy 4251) Luckily my dad was not at home, or else I would have had to study. (Past)

It's the past of this:

Luckily my dad is not at home, or else I would have to study.

These are variants of the following conditionals.

If my dad were home, I would [have to study]. (present) (second cond.)
If my dad had been home, I would have [had to study]. (past) (third)

cat navy 4252) I ~~would~~ will have to go to the head office next month. ~~(Present)~~ (Future)

The reported version has "would":

You said that I would have to go to the head office [next month / the following month]. (Future of the Past)

If the meeting at the head office is still next month at the time this is said, use next month. If that time has already passed, as when you are telling this story years after it happened, use the following month.

cat navy 4253) Fortunately, Peter helped me; otherwise, I would have had to sell my car.

Correct.

Most punctuation guides recommend a semicolon and comma around words like 'however', 'nevertheless', and 'otherwise', but you can use variants of this. For example, you can split these into two sentences. The second sentence would then start with one of these connector words.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

cat navy 425
4) Robinson would have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).
5) Robinson may have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).
6) Robinson could have had to go to school. (Please tell me the meaning).
7) You could have had to learn German. (Please tell me the meaning).
8) You should have had to attend the meeting. (Please tell me the meaning)

When interpreted as a conditional, would have had to needs an if-clause to make it complete.

If he had been just two months older, Robinson would have had to go to school this year. (enrolling a child in school for the first time)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Without a condition it can be an indicator of high probability or near certainty in the mind of the speaker.

— Why did Robinson leave so suddenly?
— He [ will/would ] have had to go to school.
(He probably had to go to school. / He almost certainly had to go to school.)

may have had to, might have had to, and could have had to all mean essentially the same thing, namely, maybe ... had to.

Robinson [may / might / could] have had to go to school.
~
Maybe Robinson had to go to school.

Your last two examples (with "you") are a bit anomalous.

You could have had to learn German is better expressed as

[They might have / Maybe they would have]
[made you learn German / required you to learn German].
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You should have had to attend the meeting is better expressed as

Someone should have [made you attend the meeting / required you to attend the meeting].
It would have been [fitting / a good idea] for someone to have [made you attend the meeting / required you to attend the meeting].

CJ

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