If only expresses a regret. :-)
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If only expresses a regret. :-)
"I wish I hadn't done that" expresses regret - possibly only a mild form of regret.
"If only I hadn't done that" is surely stronger, and often the result of a negative consequence of the thing done.
As a British English speaker I would normally reject "hadn't've" as incorrect use - is it really an acceptable form in other native speaking parts of the world? Would you write it? Like this...
"I would have been extremely angry if the parcel had not have arrived on time"?
Sounds odd to me, but please convince me otherwise if it is so!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Casiopea
i am cant understand plz you can explain more plz .
[/quote] As a British English speaker I would normally reject "hadn't've" as incorrect use - is it really an acceptable form in other native speaking parts of the world? Would you write it? Like this...
"I would have been extremely angry if the parcel had not have arrived on time"?
Sounds odd to me, but please convince me otherwise if it is so![/quote]
It's not acceptable to me either; it's very bad English.
shouldn't've started this.:-D
"If only I hadn't've done that"!
I've never seen this before. Maybe some people say or write it, as you say, but it's obviously very wrong grammatically, to say the least. What's happening here? Is it a sign of indecisiveness as to which tense (present perfect or past perfect) to use? Or is there a tense called "past present perfect simple", in the form of "had + have + past participle"?
My feeling is that this is erroneously analogised (produced by analogy) from "wouldn't have --> wouldn't've", but I don't think that is an acceptable excuse for using it.
Expressing regret about past actions (If- just conditional; whether and whether or not- contrast between two options; whether can also replace 'if' but not in conditional sentences, i.e, indirect speech to introduce questions, especially to avoid using if after a prepositon)
Hi all,
I'm really fascinated by this hadn't have done structure.
My first thought was also the other one - wouldn't have done, and if I'm not mistaken, there are some confused conditionals used in America too, such as
"I wouldn't have done it if I wouldn't have done it.'
It seems to me that this little have is very important. Logically (as far as a language can be described as logical) hadn't have is total nonsense. Still, I think hadn't've (but perhaps not hadn't have) sounds good.
If there is anyone who can give us some more information about this interesting phenomenon, I'd be extremely happy to read it.
m
In "The Wizard of Oz" they use If I only had a brain. Notice that the subject I is before only. I haven't found a grammar rule for this. Is this variant correct?
I feel this is indeed correct usage. "Only" can be placed before as well as after the subject in a question. It certainly is pretty obsolete/formal. If I'd write it, it'd feel more natural to write "If only I had a brain."Quote:
Originally Posted by clipper