If needed

[Little Girl]

Hi, everyone.

I have two questions:

1. Is "if needed" followed by a comma when at the start of a sentence?

2. Is there a difference in meaning between "if needed" and "if necessary"? I know that "if necessary" is stronger and more formal, but I wonder if it has a specific connotation.

Thanks.

 

[Tarheel]

1. I don't think I've ever started a sentence vwith if needed, but if did I'd probably use a comma.

2. Probably not.

 

[jutfrank]

1) Yes.
2) Usually, yes. if necessary is not really stronger or more formal. The difference is in meaning.

Let me try to give you a simple rule (that may not always be reliable in ordinary language) to help you understand what I see as the basic difference.

• if needed talks about the necessity of a person/thing to a situation
• if necessary talks about the necessity of a course of action to a situation

a) I can lend you some money if needed.
b) I can lend you money if necessary.

In a) it is money that may be needed.
In b) it is lending money that may be necessary.

 

[Little Girl]

And what if we use "to" after "needed"? Can we still not say "I can lend you some money if needed to"?

 

[Rover_KE]

It's incorrect to add 'to'.

 

[Tarheel]

Surely y'all can come up with a better example than that. I mean when have you ever felt the need to loan somebody money?
;-)

 

[jutfrank]

Surely y'all can come up with a better example than that.

Be my guest ...

 

[Little Girl]

1) Yes.
2) Usually, yes. if necessary is not really stronger or more formal. The difference is in meaning.

Let me try to give you a simple rule (that may not always be reliable in ordinary language) to help you understand what I see as the basic difference.

• if needed talks about the necessity of a person/thing to a situation
• if necessary talks about the necessity of a course of action to a situation

a) I can lend you some money if needed.
b) I can lend you money if necessary.

In a) it is money that may be needed.
In b) it is lending money that may be necessary.

That rule does seem to make sense, but I recently happened to read a bunch of sentences, while looking for the correct use, with "if needed" referring to a course of action, one of which, as I remember, went like "If needed, I can come early.".

So do you think that this rule is not strictly followed today, even by many skilled writers, and is therefore not really so hard and fast?

How about "if need be" by the way if we follow the rule? Could it be a replacement for "if necessary"? I don't see or hear it very often, though.

 

[Phaedrus]

And what if we use "to" after "needed"? Can we still not say "I can lend you some money [strike] if needed to[/strike]"?

You could say:

I can lend you some money if you need me to.

 

[Tarheel]

And what if we use "to" after "needed"? Can we [STRIKE]we still[/STRIKE] say "I can lend you some money if you need me to"?

With the changes, it's fine.

(Please pay attention to all the corrections, including the cross outs.)

Little Girl, I can get through a day, a week, a month, even a whole year without using if needed.

 

[tedmc]

I think "if required", which is similar in meaning, is much more common.

 

[Little Girl]

That rule does seem to make sense, but I recently happened to read a bunch of sentences, while looking for the correct use, with "if needed" referring to a course of action, one of which, as I remember, went like "If needed, I can come early.".

So do you think that this rule is not strictly followed today, even by many skilled writers, and is therefore not really so hard and fast?

How about "if need be" by the way if we follow the rule? Could it be a replacement for "if necessary"? I don't see or hear it very often, though.

But my questions here remain unanswered.

 

[Rover_KE]

It's possible to start 'If need be, ...', 'If needs be, ...' or 'If needs must, ..., but like the other alternatives, as you have read in the other posts in this thread, none of them are seen or heard very often.

 

[Tarheel]

Little Girl, I would use something that comes more natural to me. What that would be specifically would of course depend on context.