they wanted /had wanted

Question

0An individual is capable of developing a prototype of a hydrogen powered engine, imagine what a multibillion company would have accomplished, if they wanted/had wanted to develop an alternative fuel diesel.02br02br00Which choice is correct?02br02br00Thanks!0-

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

0"had wanted"02br
02br
00But there are a number of other problems with this sentence. This is how I would write it:02br
02br
00"An individual is capable of developing a prototype of a hydrogen-powered engine, so imagine what a multibillion-dollar company would have accomplished if it had wanted to develop an alternative [fuel diesel]."02br
02br
00As necessary, replace "dollar" with whatever currency is meant.02br
02br
00I don't understand what "an alternative fuel diesel" means. Does it mean "diesel fuel"? "Diesel-fuelled engine"?0-

New2grammar · Answer

0I'm sorry. I wanted to say alternative fuel engine. My fingers have their own mind 05002br
02br
00Could you help me understand why they is incorrect?02br
02br
00We do refer to a company as they, don't we?02br
02br
00Thanks010id6

CalifJim · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10New2grammar12cite10Could you help me understand why they is incorrect?12br
12br
10We do refer to a company as they, don't we?12br
12blockquote

10 I probably would have said "they". Either one is possible.02br
00CJ 0-

Anonymous · Answer

0"They" is not actually incorrect (at least, not in the version of English that I speak), but in this sentence I personally prefer "it" because the idea of the company as a single entity with a single will is quite strong. Others may disagree.02br
02br
00Another picky point. IMO an "alternative fuel engine" might be a "fuel engine" that is "alternative", while an "alternative-fuel engine" is definitely an engine that uses alternative fuel. So, I'd use a hyphen.0-

they wanted /had wanted

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