Were stayed vs had stayed

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philadelphia

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Having written one of the following, I'm doubting which one I should've picked up. First of all, are these two sentences correct?

If he were stayed for a while, he would've got used to this.
If he'd stayed for a while, he would've got used to this.

My try: They both are correct to me. Well, the first'd more imply a hypothetical situation while the second could likely more accentuate the duration.

Thank you very much
 
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riquecohen

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Having written one of the following, I'm doubting which one I should've picked up. First of all, are these two sentences correct?

If he were stayed for a while, he would've got used to this. Not correct. You have used two verbs together in the past tense. "If he stayed for a while, he would get used to this." (Possibility, second conditional)
If he'd stayed for a while, he would've got used to this. Correct. An impossible condition as he has already left. (Third conditional) (He´d=he had)

My try: They both are correct to me. Well, the first'd more imply a hypothetical situation while the second could likely more accentuate the duration.

Thank you very much
Past participle of get in BrE is got; in AmE it´s usually gotten.
 

SoothingDave

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"Were stayed" is not a possible combination. "If he had stayed" is what you want to say, I think.
 

philadelphia

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Anyway, I wrote the second. I'm just confused sometimes. Thank you very much.
 
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BobK

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"Were stayed" is not a possible combination. "If he had stayed" is what you want to say, I think.
... at least, not in that sense.There is a sense of 'stay' that might fit - though I've never seen it used in the passive: I've heard (and used) 'stay your hand' (meaning 'don't do it'), but not 'Their hands were stayed' (to mean 'they didn't do anything'). ;-)

b
 

SoothingDave

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I guess executions can be stayed as well.
 
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