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Thread: Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?"

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    keannu is online now Key Member
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    Default Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?"

    Is this "would" the future in the past or any general hypothesis as conditional2 of counterfactual present or unlikely future?
    I realized that considering "could", it is a general hypothesis as counterfactual present or something. If it refers to the future in the past, "could" should be changed to "could have I parked", right?

    ex)Before going overseas on business, a rich man drove his Rolls-Royce to a New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000. The loan officer insisted on a guarantee, so the man handed over the keys to his Rolls-Royce. The loan officer had the car driven into the bank's underground parking lot for safekeeping, and gave him $5,000. Two weeks later, the man returned to pay his loan and get his car back. "That will be $5,000, and $15,40 in interest," the loan officer said. The man wrote out a check and started to walk way. "Wait, sir" the loan office said. "Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?" The man smiled."Where else could I park my Rolls-Royce in New York for two weeks and pay only $15.40?"
    Last edited by keannu; 02-Jan-2012 at 09:41.

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    keannu is online now Key Member
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    Default Re: Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?"


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    Default Re: Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?"

    Quote Originally Posted by keannu View Post
    Is this "would" the future in the past or any general hypothesis as conditional2 of counterfactual present or unlikely future?
    I realized that considering "could", it is a general hypothesis as counterfactual present or something. If it refers to the future in the past, "could" should be changed to "could have I parked", right? No. It doesn't refer to "future in the past". It refers to general possibility.

    ex)Before going overseas on business, a rich man drove his Rolls-Royce to a New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000. The loan officer insisted on a guarantee, so the man handed over the keys to his Rolls-Royce. The loan officer had the car driven into the bank's underground parking lot for safekeeping, and gave him $5,000. Two weeks later, the man returned to pay his loan and get his car back. "That will be $5,000, and $15,40 in interest," the loan officer said. The man wrote out a check and started to walk way. "Wait, sir" the loan office said. "Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?" The man smiled."Where else could I park my Rolls-Royce in New York for two weeks and pay only $15.40?"
    Bhai.
    keannu likes this.

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    emsr2d2 is offline VIP Member
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    Default Re: Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?"

    Quote Originally Posted by keannu View Post
    Is this "would" the future in the past or any general hypothesis as conditional2 of counterfactual present or unlikely future?
    I realized that considering "could", it is a general hypothesis as counterfactual present or something. If it refers to the future in the past, "could" should be changed to "could have I parked", right?

    ex)Before going overseas on business, a rich man drove his Rolls-Royce to a New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000. The loan officer insisted on a guarantee, so the man handed over the keys to his Rolls-Royce. The loan officer had the car driven into the bank's underground parking lot for safekeeping, and gave him $5,000. Two weeks later, the man returned to pay his loan and get his car back. "That will be $5,000, and $15,40 in interest," the loan officer said. The man wrote out a check and started to walk way. "Wait, sir" the loan office said. "Why would a rich man like you need to borrow $5,000?" The man smiled."Where else could I park my Rolls-Royce in New York for two weeks and pay only $15.40?"
    If it were changed to "Where else could I have parked ....?" it would suggest that it would only have been possible on that one occasion, not that it's a general and ongoing possibility.
    It's clear from the piece that no matter when the man parked there, the cost would be $15.40.
    The sentence could have been written several ways:

    - Where else can I park my car ...? (However, this sounds like a genuine question, as if he's asking the parking attendant to tell him and give him directions to a different car park.)
    - Where else would I have been able to park my car ...?
    - Where else is it possible to park one's car ...?
    - Where else am I able to park my car ...?

    While thinking about this, I realised that in BrE, we use some unusual constructions sometimes when talking about things like this.

    - I went to that very cheap supermarket yesterday.
    - Did you? It looks horrible.
    - Yes, but where else am I going to get a huge chocolate bar for 50 cents?!

    - I went to Blackpool on holiday.
    - Really? I've never fancied it myself. It looks really seedy.
    - Well, that's true, but where else could I get a hotel for two weeks for four people for under £80?!
    keannu likes this.

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