Was/would have been

Question

I've come across this sentence by a native speaker:

"harnessing the amazing power of the your potential, the answer was made available"

As a far as I know, "the answer would have been made available" is more grammatically correct; can anyone clarify pls?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

The sentence doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. Sorry!
And a native speaker would never have said "of the your potential", so I think you may have heard something wrong.

MrPedantic · Answer

I would guess that the original was something like 'harvesting the amazing power of your credit card'.

Mr$

Mister Micawber · Answer

"harnessing the amazing power of your potential, the answer is made available" -- it sounds like something out of a New Age self-help advertisement, Vmtnezqil, the transmission of the truth from a spiritual entity. The first phrase actually sounds familiar, and probably appears in many advertisments and book blurbs, but the main clause is non-native.

Can you give us more context? Was it said or read?

Vmtnezgil · Answer

First of all I'll recognise my fault in the typo "the your potential" as CalifJim well spotted... trust me anyway the sentence was written by a native speaker... from California by the way!!

It was read Mr Micawber, the full context in reality is a thread in a tech forum in my company when a question has just been asked but was also asked (and answered!) many times by different members in the past, without taking the time to 1) look at the FAQs (frequently asked questions, to see if it's in there) or 2) use the forum's web search function to see if that question had been answered before.

So, the1st part of the moderator's (from SFO, CA) response, a bit frustrated by the way was:

"Again, harnessing the amazing power of the search function, the answer was made available" (cont....)

In order to not explain what the search function was, and trying to save some time that in the end hasn't worked... :-/ ... I tried to replace it by "your potential" and you are right guys, completely failed!!! as 1) made the typo sppoted by CalifJim and 2) made it sound as "new era" (far from my intention) as pointed out by MrMicawber.

So after this long speech (sorry for that!)................. the only doubt I had is if "was made" is grammatically correct as I'd have used "would have been" (just it!)

Mister Micawber · Answer

I think 'was made' is correct, because the moderator, I think, is assuming a kind of mock-Biblical tone-- 'Lo, the spirit of *** was on the land and the spirit was made flesh', or something of that ilk.  Even if the moderator did not actually make the revelation himself, he is suggesting a sort of Biblical view of the potentiality.  If you see what I mean.

Was/would have been

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