#1  
Old 18-Jun-2006, 06:04
kabuk126
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Default Name the Conditional ....

Just stumbled across your conditionals section - excellent ! . One of the clearest explanations I've seen of a vast and confusing topic.
I'm interested in your opinions on the following sentence:
If you have any questions, just ask.
How would you classify this ? Zero ? First ? Mixed ? Imperatives seem to make the distinctions a bit murky ... any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
  #2  
Old 18-Jun-2006, 08:24
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Default Re: Name the Conditional ....

The imperative is generally thought of as a first conditional, because it doesn't refer to a fact or something that's always the case. In your example, the imperative covers any number of occasions, but it still doesn't fit the zero pattern:

If they have questions, they ask- description of the situation
If you have any questions, just ask- creating or altering the situation
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