Linked Questions
184
votes
12
answers
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When to use "If I was" vs. "If I were"?
If I was...
If I were...
When is it correct to use "If I was" vs. "If I were" in standard English?
- 2,071
187
votes
7
answers
80k
views
How do the tenses and aspects in English correspond temporally to one another?
Non-native speakers often get confused about what the various tenses
and aspects mean in English. With input from some of the folk here I've
put together a diagram that I hope will pro...
- 153k
24
votes
6
answers
105k
views
"need to do" vs "need do"
Consider:
I need to do this.
I need do this.
My English grammar knowledge tells me that "need" doesn't have the same status as the modal verbs "may", "can", "...
- 867
4
votes
3
answers
38k
views
Future Tense of Modal Verbs
All normal verbs can be conjugated in the future tense.
e.g. I know, I will know. I do, I will do.
But I have noticed that we cannot conjugate the modal verb can in the future tense.
can, I will ...
- 449
5
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Indispensability of 'to' after 'ought' in British English
I'm Brazilian, and I need to know which British literature says 'to' is indispensable after the word 'ought'.
For example: Your skin color ought not to dictate your future.
Could you give me ...
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
how many conditional sentence types are possible?
I wonder how many conditional sentence types are possible. Basically, there are four main and two mixed types. By mixing tenses, it could be up to nine of them. Are the rest viable?
I came across the ...
0
votes
1
answer
2k
views
I wish I would and sequence of tenses
Let us suppose we want to say that we want to resume practicing a language before we forget it absolutely. So we will say:
I wish I would resume ... before ...
And what after before? Can we use the ...
- 1,193
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
"should" in conditionals
I'm having trouble with should.
The third conditional is fine:
If you had known about the safety hazard at the plant, you should have told someone.
However, for the second conditional I'm ...
- 7,180
0
votes
2
answers
2k
views
The “Polite” Conditional?
If you see him, would you say hello?
Would you get us some coffee if they have any?
Are these questions, in which the “polite” would is used, conditionals of the first or “mixed” type? Are they, in ...
1
vote
2
answers
843
views
Is it correct to say 'I wish some magic happens'? [closed]
Another read I come across in which a guy has written, "I wish you could see that young restless orphan who has no house to live in, none to get food from, whose pshychological centre has been ...
-2
votes
1
answer
482
views
"Will have heard by now" sounds like bad usage to me; what is your opinion? [closed]
I posted the question here
https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/295727/bad-usage-of-will-have
but it was closed due to insufficient details or clarity. I'm trying here.
The following sounds wrong ...
- 119
0
votes
1
answer
121
views
Should/would+perfect infinitive or modals could, might+perfect infinitive and the perfective future aspect [closed]
Would a native speaker when tumbling against constructions comprising of the analytical forms of the Subjunctive Mood (would, should+perfect infinitive) or a compound modal verbal predicates (could, ...
- 235
1
vote
1
answer
92
views
Does the main clause determine everything?
If the clause is If I disturbed you:
If I disturbed you, I am sorry.
If I disturbed you, I would give you money.
Both of them use the past tense of disturb in the 'if-clause'
According to the ...
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