She would have had to have been extraordinary
"For a black British woman to get a place in 1983, when Johnson started at Oxford, she would have had to have been extraordinary." (The Guardian.)
What is the difference in meaning between "she would have had to have been extraordinary" and "she would have had to be extraordinary"?
Top answer
tkacka15 What is the difference in meaning between "she would have had to have been extraordinary" and "she would have had to be extraordinary"? Not much in reality; choice probably depends more on the speaker's habit than a difference in meaning. to have been extraordinary — this emphasizes (slightly) that the extraordinariness predated the placement to be extraordinary — this emphasizes (slightly) that the extraordinariness and the placement are coeval.
- tkacka15 What is the difference in meaning between "she would have had to have been extraordinary" and "she would have had to be extraordinary"?
- Not much in reality; choice probably depends more on the speaker's habit than a difference in meaning.
- to have been extraordinary — this emphasizes (slightly) that the extraordinariness predated the placement to be extraordinary — this emphasizes (slightly) that the extraordinariness and the placement are coeval.
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tkacka15What is the difference in meaning between "she would have had to have been extraordinary" and "she would have had to be extraordinary"?
Not much in reality; choice probably depends more on the speaker's habit than a difference in meaning.
to have been extraordinary— this emphasizes (slightly) that the extraordinariness predated the plac
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