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Moon7296 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

subjunctives

And here’s where Bill Gates may have an undeniable advantage over Steve Jobs in terms of establishing a lasting global tech legacy. Though it should be noted that it’s impossible to say what Jobs would have done had he lived longer. He may very well have gone on to become a renowned philanthropist in his own right. We’ll never know.

Q) Can I say "... would do had he lived longer" instead of the underlined part?
Q1) If it sounds okay, are their meanings different?
  

Top answer

moon7296 Q) Can I say "... would do had he lived longer" instead of the underlined part? Not really; 'had he lived longer' implies that he's already dead, while 'would do' can only be a hypothetical future or present.

— Ozzourti

  • moon7296 Q) Can I say "...
  • would do had he lived longer" instead of the underlined part?
  • Not really; 'had he lived longer' implies that he's already dead, while 'would do' can only be a hypothetical future or present.
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4 Answers
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moon7296Q) Can I say "... would do had he lived longer" instead of the underlined part?
Not really; 'had he lived longer' implies that he's already dead, while 'would do' can only be a hypothetical future or present.
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moon7296 Can I say "... would do had he lived longer" instead of the underlined part?
No, because "what Jobs would do" implies that Jobs is still alive and able to do things.

I can guess what you would do if you won a million dollars because you are alive and there is a chance you might win a million dollars. At least, it makes sense to imagin
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CJ:" But I can't ask the same of your great-great-great-grandmother (What would she do if she won a million dollars?). It just doesn't make sense."

Q) Ah.. then I can say "What would she have done, if she won a million dollars," right?
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moon7296Q) Ah.. then I can say "What would she have done, if she won a million dollars," right?
Almost.

What would she have done if she had won a million dollars?

The past of What would she do? is What would she have done?
The past of if she won is if she had won.

CJ
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