If you only

[reginaregina]

Here are some sentences from a poem:

The Baby's Secret

OH! stupid gorwn-up people who think yourselves so wise,
If you only saw what I see-saw with a baby's eyes!

What does "If you only" mean here? Then why past tense "saw" is used here? Thank you.

 

[5jj]

'If only' has a similar meaning to 'I wish'. The past tense is use as a distancing-in-reality tense. Grown-up people cannot see with a baby's eyes; we are dealing with a counterfactual hypothesis.

If I have time tomorrow, I will help you - possible.
If I had time now, I would help you. - hypothetical; I do not have time.
I wish I had time now. - hypothetical; I do not have time.
I wish grown-up people saw with baby's eyes. - hypthetical; they don't
If only grown-up people saw with baby's eyes. - hypothetical, they don't.

 

[Raymott]

Here are some sentences from a poem:

The Baby's Secret

OH! stupid gorwn-up people who think yourselves so wise,
If you only saw what I see-saw with a baby's eyes!

What does "If you only" mean here? Then why past tense "saw" is used here? Thank you.

"See-saw" should not be a hyphenated word here. If you mean it to be a dash, then you need to leave a space on either side ("see - saw"). A see-saw is an entirely different thing.

 

[reginaregina]

"See-saw" should not be a hyphenated word here. If you mean it to be a dash, then you need to leave a space on either side ("see - saw"). A see-saw is an entirely different thing.

So what does"see-saw"mean with no space on either side? Thank you.

 

[5jj]

seesaw - definition of seesaw by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

But, like all words, it is written with a space before and after it.

 

[reginaregina]

But, like all words, it is written with a space before and after it.

The dictionary says seesaw is an outdoor toy. Someone tells me see-saw is a game parents play with babys in order to make the baby’s view is similar to someone’s view of the other person. Is that true?

 

[Raymott]

The dictionary says seesaw is an outdoor toy. Someone tells me see-saw is a game parents play with babys in order to make the baby’s view is similar to someone’s view of the other person. Is that true?

Which dictionary? The one 5jj gave a link to doesn't - though it does call it a toy. I'd call it a plaything.

 

[Hedwig]

seesaw - Google Search

An image is worth a thousand words. ;-)