Would be or would have been

Question

Hi. Let us suppose that a person is talking about someone he knew who died. Let us also suppose this person is talking about the person who died being buried near his loved one. Could he/she say this?

(about the person who died being buried near his/her loved one)

I think/I have a feeling/I am sure he would like that. Or should it be: I think/I have a feeling/I am sure he would have like that.

Additional question: Is it correct to write "someone he knew who died"? I don't know it is correct to have what looks to be two restrictive clauses (I think they are restrictive clauses - not sure, though). I think we can rewrite it as "someone that he knew who died," with "that he knew" being one restrictive clause and "who died" being another restrictive clause. Please see the above underlined part.

Thank you for your anticipated help.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

If he is not yet buried, 'I'm sure he would like that'.
If he is already buried, but in the wrong place, 'I'm sure he would have liked that'.

Kooyeen · Answer

This is confusing...

I think I would say "I'm sure he would have liked this/that" in any case, if that person is dead.
The reason is that it's absolutely impossible for him to like anything, because he's dead already, and everything is hypothetical AND impossible.

I'm sure he would have liked to die this way (...if he had known he was going to die this way)
I'm sure he would have liked this place for his grave (...if we had told him we might bury him here, or ...if he'd had the chance to choose it)

I don't know if that makes sense though.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousIs it correct to write "someone he knew who died"?

Yes. That is correct.

Anonymous... he would like that. Or should it be: ... he would have liked that.

My ear accepts either one.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

KooyeenThis is confusing...

I think I would say "I'm sure he would have liked this/that" in any case, if that person is dead.

I get that. Nevertheless, I think it's possible for the speaker to take the point of view (mentally) that the dead person is still alive and express himself from that point of view. It's not much different from saying, after reading the play, that Romeo loved Juliet. You don't have to take the "absolute" point of view that Romeo is a fictitious character and that therefore Romeo would have loved Juliet (if he had ever really existed).

Rereading this, I'm thinking that now it's even more confusing. Sorry about that.

CJ

Khoff · Answer

I think you can speak of a dead person and say "I think he would like that" -- meaning if it were possible for the person to know about it and have an opinion. It's not an uncommon way to speak of the dead, even though we know they are beyond caring. (Of course, if you believe that the dead are somehow conscious in an afterlife it makes even more sense.)

Kooyeen · Answer

I see, thanks. I hadn't thought of that, but I see it all depends on the context and the speaker's point of view.

Would be or would have been

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