0
Cenicero Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
The tense of conditional mood
Hello everyone! 
Some questions were coming up with my head while watching TV drama 'Supernatural'.
There were scripts like following.
1. If the ghosts are in hell, how can they hear the chanting?
2. If the ghosts were in hell, how could they hear the chanting?
Those two sentences are all coming from the same part of the drama and I am so confused to tell the difference between the two. I was taught that the latter sentence is also "present" conditional tense, not past tense. I'd like to know what exactly the difference between the two sentences is. Thank you in advance!
Some questions were coming up with my head while watching TV drama 'Supernatural'.
There were scripts like following.
1. If the ghosts are in hell, how can they hear the chanting?
2. If the ghosts were in hell, how could they hear the chanting?
Those two sentences are all coming from the same part of the drama and I am so confused to tell the difference between the two. I was taught that the latter sentence is also "present" conditional tense, not past tense. I'd like to know what exactly the difference between the two sentences is. Thank you in advance!
Top answer
Because these are questions, I don't sense that they are true conditional structures. I interpret them as ordinary present tense and past tense questions. How can this happen [if/when/given that] this is the situation?
- Because these are questions, I don't sense that they are true conditional structures.
- I interpret them as ordinary present tense and past tense questions.
- How can this happen [if/when/given that] this is the situation?
- How could that happen [if/when/given that] that was the situation?
- CJ
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
Because these are questions, I don't sense that they are true conditional structures.
I interpret them as ordinary present tense and past tense questions.
How can this happen [if/when/given that] this is the situation?
How could that happen [if/when/given that] that was the situation?
CJ
I interpret them as ordinary present tense and past tense questions.
How can this happen [if/when/given that] this is the situation?
How could that happen [if/when/given that] that was the situation?
CJ
00
Related Questions