Proper use of Conditional Tense

[Gilles L]

Dear Teacher,

Can you help me with the following sentences:

1- I would stop eating before I got sick ( is this correct ?)
or

2- I would stop eating before getting sick ( is this correct ?)

Is this appropriate to use the past tense when using "Would" as is the case in example no 1 above ? What are the rules ?

Many thanks

Gilles L

[Hi_there_Carl]

Originally Posted by Gilles L

Dear Teacher,

Can you help me with the following sentences:

1- I would stop eating before I got sick ( is this correct ?)
or

2- I would stop eating before getting sick ( is this correct ?)

Is this appropriate to use the past tense when using "Would" as is the case in example no 1 above ? What are the rules ?

Many thanks

Gilles L

1) The meaning is unclear so you have to change as follows: either I would have stopped eating before I got sick. or I stopped eating before I got sick.
2) The meaning is also unclear so you have to change as follows: either I should stop eating before I get sick. or I will stop eating before getting sick.

The problem is to choose the proper modal verb. Please look over this tutorial and other reference materials on using modal verbs for help. ENGLISH PAGE - Modal Verb Tutorial

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by Gilles L

Dear Teacher,

Can you help me with the following sentences:

1- I would stop eating before I got sick ( is this correct ?)
or

2- I would stop eating before getting sick ( is this correct ?)

Is this appropriate to use the past tense when using "Would" as is the case in example no 1 above ? What are the rules ?

Many thanks

Gilles L

Bonjour Gilles,

As Carl said, the intended meaning is unclear. Both 1 & 2 are fine but we have to know what it is you want to say before we can tell you what to use.

Using the past tense FORM 'got' is fine.

1. "I would stop eating before I got sick [if I were you]"

One meaning for this can be better seen by the addition I've made, above. By using 'got' instead of 'get', the advice is not as direct. With 'got', the advice more distant, therefore it's softer.

There are a number of other meanings that these sentences could have.