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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Would have

Hi guys,

just wanted to check which one you think is better/correct and why?
A. I would have given him what he asked for
B. I would have given him what he had asked for

Usage would be: my friend tells me a story about someone who asked him for something, but he didn't give it to him. I would have, so I say to my friend A or B.

thanks,
Andrew
  

Top answer

Strictly speaking, if you would have given it to him at the time he asked, it should be (A). If he had already asked, and you would have given it to him some time after this, it should be (B). In practice most people probably would not strongly differentiate between those two, and might use (A) just for simplicity.

— GPY

  • Strictly speaking, if you would have given it to him at the time he asked, it should be (A).
  • If he had already asked, and you would have given it to him some time after this, it should be (B).
  • In practice most people probably would not strongly differentiate between those two, and might use (A) just for simplicity.
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3 Answers
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Strictly speaking, if you would have given it to him at the time he asked, it should be (A). If he had already asked, and you would have given it to him some time after this, it should be (B). In practice most people probably would not strongly differentiate between those two, and might use (A) just for simplicity.
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Anonymous which one you think is better
A. There's nothing in the context that indicates anything that qualifies as a flashback to a preceding time frame. Something was asked for, and it was not given. This is just a normal sequence of events.

CJ
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