Hello again,
Respected Mr.Pedantic your discussion is always a great help and I was delighted to get the answer from you .Best compliments for you once more, and thanks for the welcome.I would ask for some additional explanation and hope I will not be considered a bore for it.
Let me cite this part of your answer “.. the apparatus of reporting (backshifting, etc.) can make the form of the original text uncertain” .Does it mean that the listener/reader depends on the context for the exact or subtle meaning. In this particular case could it be that the following sentence can have either of the two meanings quoted in the brackets :
He said he would do what we asked him if we fulfilled some conditions
( he will do it definitely , surely 100% ) or ( he is willing to do it in that case but not 100%).
What I was trying to do is to somehow soften the sense of the expression : “ If you do X, I'll do Y” , and make it sound less definite and determined ( or it sounds so only to me..
). And finally I would like you to review the following two constructions if possible. The first is the one you’ve mentioned with subjunctive :
1) If you were to do X, I would do Y .
Would it be in reported speech as follows :
1a) He said he would do Y if we were to do X
And here’s the second one :
2) If you would do X , I would do Y .
and does the reported version goes like :
2a) He said he would do Y if we would do X
Are above constructions possible in English language and if possible some brief explanation about its usage would be welcomed . Sorry for asking in length, and thanks in advance for the answers .
Best regards