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T509 Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

subjunctive

Hi.

a. If it were not for your help, I couldn't succeed.

b. If there were/was not your help, I couldn't succeed.

They are, I suppose, grammatically correct.

I'd like to know whether the sentence b sounds natural,

and the reason if not.

Thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

b is not at all natural. " "There was your help" is not a natural construction. <Edited to fix my typo - earlier I wrote "success" and it should have been "succeed">

— BarbaraPA

  • b is not at all natural.
  • " "There was your help" is not a natural construction.
  • <Edited to fix my typo - earlier I wrote "success" and it should have been "succeed">
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3 Answers
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b is not at all natural.

If you must use a "If there were" construction, try "If there were no help [available or coming] fom you, I couldn't succeed."

"There was your help" is not a natural construction.

<Edited to fix my typo - earlier I wrote "success" and it should have been "succeed">
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Thanks GG.

If there had been no help from you, I couldn't have solved the question.
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Hi T509,

I'm glad it helped. Please note I fixed a typo in my post.

Another way to say this, which is not very common but well understood, is "But for..." It means "without"

But for your help, I would never have succeeded.
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