keannu
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- Dec 27, 2010
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In counterfactual present of conditional2, I've seen mostly past tense. When they make an imaginary situation in the present(general time), do they usually make past tense of conditional2, not predictive conditional of conditional1?
I know which to choose between counterfactual present and predictive present wholly depends on the speakers' attitude, but for short senteces, I could see both, but for a long story, it's mostly counterfactual conditional2, not predictive conditonal1. Maybe I'm mistaken.
ex) According to a memory research, you are less likely to remember the smaller, non-humorous details. Humans in general are quite good at recalling unusual or unexpected events, and a perfect example of this is when you find something funny. For example, if one of your colleagues turned up to a serious business meeting dressed as Mickey Mouse, it’s likely you’d remember the funny incident a month later, but probably you would forget about what your other colleagues were wearing, what you had for lunch that day, and perhaps even what important information was presented at the meeting.
I know which to choose between counterfactual present and predictive present wholly depends on the speakers' attitude, but for short senteces, I could see both, but for a long story, it's mostly counterfactual conditional2, not predictive conditonal1. Maybe I'm mistaken.
ex) According to a memory research, you are less likely to remember the smaller, non-humorous details. Humans in general are quite good at recalling unusual or unexpected events, and a perfect example of this is when you find something funny. For example, if one of your colleagues turned up to a serious business meeting dressed as Mickey Mouse, it’s likely you’d remember the funny incident a month later, but probably you would forget about what your other colleagues were wearing, what you had for lunch that day, and perhaps even what important information was presented at the meeting.
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