Would or Would have?

Question

I have a question, please.Example:Let`s say today is Wednesday. Yesterday I wrote essay for Friday. And I think, I wrote unnecessarily too many pages and now it`s too long.What is the right tense to use? (Today is Wednesday)I should have written less yesterday. If it was not enough, I WOULD WRITE more pages (on Thursday)?orI should have written less yesterday. If it was not enough, I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN more pages (on Thursday)?Thanks much.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

AnonymousWhat is the right tense to use? (Today is Wednesday)

I should have written less yesterday. If it was not enough, I would write more pages on Thursday.

TomJ · Answer

Mister MicawberI should have written less yesterday. If it was not enough, I would write more pages on Thursday.

Mister Micawber, I want to ask you something about the sentence above, please.

Could you please tell me what kind of sentence pattern/structure "If it was not enough, I would write more pages on Thursday" is? Is it second conditional, is it subjunctive, or is it a mixed conditional, please?

Does that sentence mean that It would have been a good idea if I had written less yesterday, but I didn't, because it (what I wrote) was enough. And If it wasn't (if it hadn't been), I would write write more pages on Thursday?

I'm particularly confused with "if it was not enough" part of the original questioner's sentence. Does it refer to the past, i.e., if it was not enough (but it was enough)? If so, could we also use/say "If it had not been enough (but it was enough)"? Or did you use the "if it was not enough" part to mean "If It were not enough"?

Thanks a lot to you.

Mister Micawber · Answer

TomJCould you please tell me what kind of sentence pattern/structure "If it was not enough, I would write more pages on Thursday" is? Is it second conditional, is it subjunctive, or is it a mixed conditional, please?

The first clause is indicative; the second is conditional, I suppose.

TomJDoes that sentence mean that It would have been a good idea if I had written less yesterday, but I didn't, because it (what I wrote) was enough. And If it wasn't (if it hadn't been), I would write write more pages on Thursday?

I presume that is what he meant.

TomJDoes it refer to the past, i.e., if it was not enough (but it was enough)?

Again, I think that is what was meant.

TomJ If so, could we also use/say "If it had not been enough (but it was enough)"?

No; there is only one past event.

TomJOr did you use the "if it was not enough" part to mean "If It were not enough"?

No, there is no condition there that I see: he wrote too much.

TomJ · Answer

Thank you very very much, Mister Micawber, for reply!

Mister MicawberTomJ If so, could we also use/say "If it had not been enough (but it was enough)"?No; there is only one past event.

Sir, I don't understand why we can't say "If it had not been enough, I'd write more pages..." as well. I mean you corrected the original sentence as "I should have written less yesterday. If it wasn't enough, I would write more pages on Thursday". And in my last post I asked you If we could have said "I should have written less yesterday. If it had not been enough, I would write more pages on Thursday" as well, and I think you said, "no".

Sir, what I'm trying to ask you is that both "If it had not been enough" and "if it wasn't enough" refer to the past, and both convey the same idea/meaning, i.e., it was enough, indeed, then why is it that we can't say "If it had not been enough" where it was "If it was not enough" in the sentence "I should have written less yesterday. If it wasn't enough, I would write more pages on Thursday"?

Thank you once again for your time!

Mister Micawber · Answer

TomJSir, what I'm trying to ask you is that both "If it had not been enough" and "if it wasn't enough" refer to the past

However, their contexts are different:

Past perfect refers to one of two past events (the earlier of the two).
Simple past refers to one past event without reference to any other past event.

Would or Would have?

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