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Anonymous Posted 9 years ago
Vocabulary

To have thought

“The idea of ‘one China’ is at the heart of their conception as a nation,” Obama said, “and so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what are the consequences. (The Guardian.)

Is there any difference in meaning if the perfect infinitive "to have thought" is replaced with "to think" in the above?
  

Top answer

Anonymous Is there any difference in meaning if the perfect infinitive "to have thought" is replaced with "to think" in the above? Yes. to think ~ do some thinking about it some day in the future to have thought ~ have done some thinking about it in the past Obama is suggesting that someone has said or done something that he should not have said or done because it shows that he hasn't yet thought through the consequences of his actions.

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous Is there any difference in meaning if the perfect infinitive "to have thought" is replaced with "to think" in the above?
  • Yes.
  • to think ~ do some thinking about it some day in the future to have thought ~ have done some thinking about it in the past Obama is suggesting that someone has said or done something that he should not have said or done because it shows that he hasn't yet thought through the consequences of his actions.
  • __________ By the way, did you notice that word-order problem at the end of the sentence?
  • CJ
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3 Answers
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AnonymousIs there any difference in meaning if the perfect infinitive "to have thought" is replaced with "to think" in the above?
Yes.

to think ~ do some thinking about it some day in the future
to have thought ~ have done some thinking about it in the past

Obama is suggesting that someone has said or done something that he should not hav
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CalifJimBy the way, did you notice that word-order problem at the end of the sentence?
Thank you for the reply. Indeed, the indirect question rather instead of the direct one should be at the end of the sentence.
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Anonymous CalifJimBy the way, did you notice that word-order problem at the end of the sentence?Thank you for the reply. Indeed, the indirect question rather instead of the direct one should be at the end of the sentence.
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