Re If then

Dear Teachers,

I am writing to ask this question.

A. ....The role of love, however differs sharply from one society to another. For example, Indians don't expect love to occur until after marrage--if then.

After Arun Bharat Ram returned to India from Michigan, his mother announced that she wanted to find him a wife. Arun's mother already had someone in mind....
--What does "if then" mean?

B. After four more meetings, "one" where the two young people met by themselves, the parents asked their children if they were willing to marry. Neither had any major objections.
--What does "one" here refer to?

By the way, I think I figure out the meaning of "Asia Minor" that was asked in my last post.

Thanks!

Emily

[HCaulfield]

A. If then: it's self explanatory. They think that love is to happen after marriage, if then, i.e. it may or may not happen after marriage. It may never happen. They are ruling out the possibility of it happening before marriage, but it is not assured that it will happen after...

B. One: a meeting. I don't think the sentence is grammatical as it should read "in one", but think of it like this:

After four more meetings, in a meeting where the two young people met by themselves