Quote:
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Originally Posted by david If I am fanatical, they are fanatical. (I am not dead; they are not dead.) or should I say, If I were fanatical, they were fanatical. (even if I am not dead; they are not dead.) |
First,
fanatical means excessively enthusiastic. The meaning 'not dead' is a new one on me. :) Second, I'd say "
When I am fanatical, they (too) are fanatical)". In the case of "If", I'd say "If I am fanatical,
then they (too)
are fanatical."
Conditionals 1st conditional:
A. (Present Tense, will infinitive)
If I
choose to work, I
will work.
B. (Present Tense, Present Tense)
If I
choose to work, He, too,
chooses to work.
C. (Present Tense, Imperative)
If I
choose to work,
send me the files.
2nd conditional:
A. (Past Tense, would+infinitive)
If I
chose to work, I
would work.
3rd conditional:
A. (Past Perfect Tense, would have+past participle)
If I
had chosen to work, I
would have worked.
Here's a site online about Conditional sentences:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/conditional2.htm Quote:
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Originally Posted by david Is it OK to use "were"/past tense even if I (am? were?) not dead or someone else is not dead? |
Yes. Like this,
If I
am (to be) dead, then they (too)
are (to be) dead.
=>Present Tense, Present Tense. (No one is dead)
=> 1st Conditional
But, if we delete the 'to be' part, which refers to the future, then both "I" and "they" are dead:
If I
am dead, then they too
are dead.
Here are two other forms:
If I
was dead, then they (too)
would be dead.
=>Past Tense, would+infintive (No one is dead)
=>
2nd Conditional
If I
were dead, then they (too)
would be dead.
=>Past Tense, would+infinitive (No one is dead)
=>
Subjunctive (i.e. hypothetical situation)
Note, there are two verbs that look like 'were'. One is the past tense of the verb BE (e,g, I was, You were) and the other is the subjuntive form of the verb BE.
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Originally Posted by david If I (start? started?) the sentence with "If I were" should the succeeding clause/phrase be in the past tense? (Can the succeeding clause change into a different tense, for example, present tense? I don't think so.) |
First, please notice the sentence structure:
"If I
start the sentence with 'If I were',
should the succeeding clause
be in the past tense?"
=> Present Tense, should+infintive
=> 1st Conditional
Second, remember that 'were' in the context below is the subjunctive verb BE. It follows the rules for 1st Conditional verbs: were, would+infintive.
EX: If I
were you, I
wouldn't go there.
EX: If I were rich, I
would buy a house.
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Originally Posted by david Is it wrong to say: If I choose (present tense) to do good then ... (Is there a correct situation where I can use the present tense?) |
Yes. It's fine. It's the 1st Conditonal:
Superman: If I choose to do good, the World
will be better off.
Use "If (present tense)" to talk about a condition
in the future.
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Originally Posted by david should all constructions of IF be in the past tense? never present tense? how about the future tense? |
All construction of "If" should not be in the past. The future is expressed by the pair "If+
Present Tense Verb,
will+infinitive", like this:
If I
choose to work, I
will work.
All the best,
IF 
Linear Mode
