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Thread: Conditional If

  1. #1
    translator146 is offline Newbie
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    Question Conditional If

    If such stage was completed based on un-signed English financial statements (USEFS), the doer is to initial all pages of the USEFS.


    Is the above sentence grammatically correct with two different tenses? I have argued with my friend that the above sentence was wrong as the tenses used were different; "The if tense is in the past while the second part is in the present" and the sentence in this form would be awkward for English native speakers.
    Thanks!

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    Default Re: Conditional If

    Welcome to the forum, translator146.

    Your original is possible, but I think what the writer means would be more naturally expressed as:

    If such stage has been completed based on un-signed English financial statements (USEFS), the doer is to initial all pages of the USEFS.
    or:
    If such stage is completed based on un-signed English financial statements (USEFS), the doer is to initial all pages of the USEFS.

    Referring to a past duty, it could be:

    If such stage was completed based on un-signed English financial statements (USEFS), the doer was to initial all pages of the USEFS.

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    Default Re: Conditional If

    Quote Originally Posted by translator146 View Post
    If such stage was completed based on un-signed English financial statements (USEFS), the doer is to initial all pages of the USEFS.


    Is the above sentence grammatically correct with two different tenses? I have argued with my friend that the above sentence was wrong as the tenses used were different; "The if tense is in the past while the second part is in the present" and the sentence in this form would be awkward for English native speakers.
    Thanks!
    Yes, it's OK.
    "The if tense is in the past while the second part is in the present"
    If this were not possible, how could we say that something in the future will depend on something from the past.
    "If it rained last night, the roads will be slippery."
    "If you had done your homework, you would know what I'm talking about."

    5jj and anhnha like this.

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