 Re: difference in meaning
1. The former sentence is generally called a subjunctive form. You need to refer to this part in any grammar book. It looks like a past tense, but you should interpret the sentence as if it were a present tense.
3. As Tdol's explanation suggests, the latter sentence sounds much more polite than the former.
In addition, a sentence like "Can you give me a hand with this bag?" sounds less rude than the former but less polite than the latter.
Last edited by critic72; 27-Apr-2005 at 18:05.
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