[Grammar] If Carol si working... Peter often goes...

Status
Not open for further replies.

tom3m

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Czech
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
If Carol is working in the garden, Peter often goes down to pub.

In 5jj's Paper on Conditionals I found the sentence above. After having read the accompanied description, I still don't understand what the sentence means. I see the problem in having the present continuous (which I suppose indicates that the action has a duration and lasts for some time) in a sentence with present simple (which in my opinion is used for repeated actions). How come that Carol can work in the garden - NOW -, Peter can still go OFTEN to the pub? I am confused.

Thank you in advance for an explanation
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
Nobody is saying that Carol is working now. If Carol is involved (perhaps regularly) in an activity that takes some time, then Peter often, while she is so engaged, goes down to the pub.
 

SoothingDave

VIP Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
"When" seems a better choice to me than "if" here.
 

tom3m

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Czech
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
Nobody is saying that Carol is working now. If Carol is involved (perhaps regularly) in an activity that takes some time, then Peter often, while she is so engaged, goes down to the pub.

If I got it correctly, the adverb often (with present simple) denotes the frequency of Peter's going to pub within the time when Carol is working and not within an indefinite period of time that is not specified.
Is that right?
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
"When" seems a better choice to me than "if" here.
It may be the one you would normally expect to hear; that does not necessarily mean it is better. Indeed, there is a difference. 'When' suggests that this does happen; 'if suggests more that it may happen. In some utterances, 'if' is more natural than 'when':

Sometimes, when I get home after work, if my wife is working in the study, I get a beer from the fridge and go and sit in the garden until she's finished.

In my article, I was looking at constructions that are sometimes dismissed as 'incorrect', and showing that they were not only possible but were not exceptional.
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
If I got it correctly, the adverb often (with present simple) denotes the frequency of Peter's going to pub within the time when Carol is working and not within an indefinite period of time that is not specified.
Is that right?
Yes
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I haven't seen 5jj's paper on Conditionals :)oops:) but I hope he did not end that sentence with "... Peter often goes down to pub". I suspect it says "... goes down the pub". If it does say "to", then 5jj has a correction to make! ;-)
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
I haven't seen 5jj's paper on Conditionals :)oops:) but I hope he did not end that sentence with "... Peter often goes down to pub". I suspect it says "... goes down the pub".
It actually says 'down to the pub'. I've just checked it here.
 

tom3m

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Czech
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
I haven't seen 5jj's paper on Conditionals :)oops:) but I hope he did not end that sentence with "... Peter often goes down to pub". I suspect it says "... goes down the pub". If it does say "to", then 5jj has a correction to make! ;-)

It was my fault. I rewrote the sentence to my phone in a hurry and I omitted the article. :oops:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top