Questions tagged [imaginary-situations]

The tag has no usage guidance.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
4 votes
3 answers
694 views

Perfect fit for a grammatical error

Yesterday, I had an exam in which this objective type question was asked. Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. She wished she __ ...
Sudhir Sharma's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
90 views

Imaginary sentence in the past

Which of the following sentences are correct If X killed a few of them, that would be a headline for weeks in the west. If X had killed a few of them, that would be a headline for weeks in the west. ...
Ahmad's user avatar
  • 8,871
0 votes
1 answer
20 views

Whether using present or past simple in the imaginary past event

I might have thought she __ not able to speak, if I had not heard her singing. It's just a made-up sentence, please apologize if it doesn't make sense. Anyway, if only if I have to choose between is ...
user516076's user avatar
  • 4,980
1 vote
1 answer
56 views

he knows what a big responsibility it would be / he knew what a big responsibility it would be

He never had pets because he knows what a big responsibility it would be. If I understand correctly, "it would be" is strongly connected with "he knows". Or "it would be"...
Sergei's user avatar
  • 2,328
0 votes
1 answer
35 views

Can the following sentence (without if) be regarded as a conditional type 2 sentence?

I was wondering if the following question can be regarded a conditional sentence of the 2nd type: To hear some men talk, you'd think that women belonged to a different species! In fact the sentence ...
Sepideh Abadpour's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
42 views

If I took the test and failed, it would (have) be/been a waste of time

Let’s say I’m talking to a fellow student about whether or not we should take a certain test this semester or the next semester. We haven’t started to study for the test, so thus far no time has been ...
Alon's user avatar
  • 168
1 vote
2 answers
267 views

Imaginary situation in the future

Let’s say I want to describe an imaginary scenario in the future. Which of these two sentences is better and more idiomatic? It would be better if she said I could never talk to her again. It would ...
Alon's user avatar
  • 168
1 vote
0 answers
53 views

Using ‘would have’ for an impossibility in the future

In DC’s Titans (season 3 episode 1), Barbara said to Dick that she was helping “whoever Bruce would have recruited next”. I know intuitively that ‘would have’ can be used in relation to the present or ...
Alon's user avatar
  • 168
0 votes
1 answer
42 views

How to say you did an action before imagining it

Consider this sentence: If you asked me this question some decades ago, I might answer “Yes or perhaps” I guess it's wrong and the correct must be: if you would have asked me this question some ...
Ahmad's user avatar
  • 8,871
0 votes
1 answer
125 views

In what situation do you use "must" in a question?

https://benesse.jp/teikitest/chu/english/english/c00276.html https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/%E2%80%9CMust+you+go+now%3F%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%9CYes%2C+I+must.%E2%80%9D/ Here are some example sentences....
kuwabara's user avatar
  • 1,382
0 votes
2 answers
500 views

This is not what I thought it was vs This is not what I expected

Suppose that person A closes their eyes. Next, person B gives something to touch. After that, person A must guess what the object is is after touching it. After person A opens their eyes, A says &...
HK Lee's user avatar
  • 255
-1 votes
1 answer
120 views

When to use "If I was (or If I were to)" vs "If I was(or if I was to)" vs If I have to [closed]

I want to know in what circumstances, I will use these forms
Manish kumar Kumar's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

We did not have a holiday last year

We did not have holiday last year (source ......) What is the meaning of this sentence i think it can be-(1) we did not receive holiday last year or (2)we did not spend a holiday last year
Manish kumar Kumar's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
196 views

Can we use tenses as we normally do to tell the listener the timings of the imaginary events?

When we talk about an imaginary scenario, can we use tenses as we normally do to tell the listener the timings of the imaginary events? By the way, do different subjects like those in the examples (a ...
vincentlin's user avatar
  • 1,927
0 votes
1 answer
178 views

Should hypothetical situations always be written in the past tense?

Example sentence: I could follow her to find out what she does, but I risked coming off as a stalker. I think I heard somewhere that hypothetical situations should always be written in the past ...
alexchenco's user avatar
  • 7,135
0 votes
0 answers
104 views

Mixing tenses in an imaginary discussion

Relative topic I posted last time:Tense usage in an imaginary discussion This time, I have some questions about "what if an imaginary situation is something mixing up different times" I believe many ...
vincentlin's user avatar
  • 1,927
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

Tense usage in an imaginary discussion

When I chat with friends, we often come up with imaginary situations. What type of tense should be used in the case? Question: Can I just keep everything in simple present tense like "...
vincentlin's user avatar
  • 1,927