Vote through... and the backlash will last...
He adds: “I promise them as someone who used to win elections: no one will lose their seat on this basis. But vote through a botched negotiation that you don’t believe in and the backlash will last a political lifetime.”
(The Guardian.)
Is But vote through a botched negotiation that you don’t believe in and the backlash will last a political lifetime a conditional sentence?
---------------------------------
It seems to me that logically (semantically) it is a conditional: if you vote..., the backlash will last...
On the other ('grammatical') hand, it isn't a conditional as the coordinator "and" links two independent clauses thus excluding any if-subordination.
Top answer
He adds: “I promise them as someone who used to win elections: no one will lose their seat on this basis. ” You are right. An and coordinate construction like this doesn't have the form or literal meaning of a conditional, but it serves indirectly to convey a conditional meaning.
- He adds: “I promise them as someone who used to win elections: no one will lose their seat on this basis.
- ” You are right.
- An and coordinate construction like this doesn't have the form or literal meaning of a conditional, but it serves indirectly to convey a conditional meaning.
- The first coordinate is an imperative, though it's not taken as a directive but as the equivalent to an if phrase: "If you vote through a botched negotiation that you don’t believe in, the backlash will last a political lifetime".
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
He adds: “I promise them as someone who used to win elections: no one will lose their seat on this basis. But vote through a botched negotiation that you don’t believe in and the backlash will last a political lifetime.”
You are right.
An and coordinate construction like this doesn't have the form or literal meaning of a conditional, but it serves indirectly to convey
0
Related Questions