if-clauses

[MOYEEA LEE]

Hello, everyone

I'm not sure if we can use "if-clauses" in this way:

If he bought a VIP ticket, he will go to the first class tomorrow.(because now I don't know if he bought a ticket or not)

If the government were going to reduce the cost last year, it will issue a statement tomorrow(because I don't know if the government were going to reduce the cost last year)

Thanks in advance!

 

[ChinaDan]

Your usage of "if" is fine for the first sentence, however...

If he bought a VIP ticket, he will go to the first class tomorrow.(because now I don't know if he bought a ticket or not)

1. Maybe you could say, "he will fly first...".
2. "...bought a first class ticket...". Just saying "ticket" doesn't work because the point of the question is what type of ticket he bought.

If the government were going to reduce the cost last year, it will issue a statement tomorrow(because I don't know if the government were going to reduce the cost last year)

Your tenses are mixed up. You are trying to set up a cause/effect, but the relationship is weak. The whole thing is a little vague.

There isn't enough context to determine definitively what you are trying to say, but I'm guessing you mean:

"If the government really did reduce the cost last year, it will issue a statement to that effect tomorrow."

 

[Matthew Wai]

If he bought a VIP ticket, he will ...

I would use 'has bought' because 'bought', the past subjunctive, does not refer to the past.

 

[MOYEEA LEE]

I would use 'has bought' because 'bought', the past subjunctive, does not refer to the past.

Thanks so much for your help!

But we still have words like "unless" " in case" " supposing" these words can give past conditions?

Thanks so much!

 

[Matthew Wai]

But there is no past-time marker in the original sentence.
How could it be the simple past without a past-time marker?

 

[Matthew Wai]

1. If he bought a car, he would have no money to pay rent.
2. If he bought a car, he will have no money to pay rent.

'Bought' is subjunctive in 1. How about 2?
I would add 'has' in 2 if the conditional clause refers to the past.

 

[jutfrank]

1. If he bought a car, he would have no money to pay rent.
2. If he bought a car, he will have no money to pay rent.

'Bought' is subjunctive in 1. How about 2?
I would add 'has' in 2 if the conditional clause refers to the past.

No, only in 1.
The clause in sentence 1. is unreal and refers to imaginary time whereas in sentence 2. it refers to real past time.

Your suggestion of has bought is okay grammatically, and sounds good but not exactly the same.

 

[MOYEEA LEE]

AS BE is the only verb in English that has a distinct subjunctive form, and then only in the first and third person singular, and as many native speakers of British English do not use the subjunctive form of BE, I see no reason at all for considering verb forms in the if- clause of second conditions 'subjunctive'.
I doubt if as many as 10% of speakers of BrE even know the word 'subjunctive'.

Thanks so much for your kind help!

But can I say:

"If the school was going to hold a sports meeting last year, it will hold another one next week."

if-clause is used in "past future tense" , main clause is used in "simple future tense".

This sentence makes sense or not?

Thanks so much!

 

[MOYEEA LEE]

It's correct grammatically, but I can't think of a natural context in which I'd say it.

Thanks so much!

Just imagine there is a schedule paper on the wall. haha.

But one thing confused me:
If the school holds a sports meeting tomorrow, it will hold another one next year.(here we don't need use "will" or"be going to" in "if-clause")

But can I just say:

If the school held a sports meeting last year, it will hold another one next week.(can I delete "was going to" or use "would")?

Thanks so much!

 

[MOYEEA LEE]

Yes,
Yes, but it changes the meaning.
No.

Thanks so much for your kind help!

But that's why?

It expresses different future, so in this sentence it makes sense or not?

Students who would go to the lab will go there again tomorrow.
(context: Monday 4pm they should do some experiments in the lab, but 3 pm their teacher asked them to do group assignments in classroom first. Monday 8pm I'am saying this sentence. And I know Tuesday they should go there again)

I'm sorry it looks complicated. But I really want to know it works or not.

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Matthew Wai]

Assuming they did not go to the lab on Monday because they had to do assignments in the classroom, I would say 'Students who should have gone to the lab will go there tomorrow'.