ace the chemistry exam

[YAMATO2201]

Is the following sentence correct?

Natalie would have had to have studied very hard in order to ace the chemistry exam.

 

[emsr2d2]

Is there some reason you didn't go with "Natalie must have studied very hard ..."?

 

[Raymott]

Natalie would have had to have studied very hard in order to ace the chemistry exam.

This is overkill, but not wrong, in my opinion. However, the following also are possible, again IMO:
"Natalie would have to have studied very hard..." or
"Natalie would have had to study very hard...".
“Natalie would have had to have studied very hard in order to have aced the chemistry exam.” (Also possible, but not necessary).

emsr2d2's sentence is much better, but I can see that "would have had to" might be preferable in some rare contexts.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd use "must have studied" if she aced the exam.
I'd use "would have had to study" or "would have had to have studied" if she didn't ace it.

 

[Raymott]

A: Mary aced the chemistry exam!
B: Well, Mary's very smart. She wouldn't have had to study very hard.
A: No, those exams are quite difficult. She would have had to study quite hard to ace that exam. (Right)
A: No, those exams are quite difficult. She must have studied hard to ace that exam. (Not quite so right).

 

[YAMATO2201]

Is there some reason you didn't go with "Natalie must have studied very hard ..."?

I seem to have made a blunder.

Please assume that Natalie did not ace the chemistry exam because it was much more difficult than she had expected.

 

[emsr2d2]

She would have had to study harder to ace that exam.

 

[Tdol]

I seem to have made a blunder.

Please assume that Natalie did not ace the chemistry exam because it was much more difficult than she had expected.

Did she study much?

 

[YAMATO2201]

I seem to have made a blunder.

Please assume that Natalie did not ace the chemistry exam because it was much more difficult than she had expected.

Did she study much?

Please assume that she did not study much.

 

[Tdol]

Then use would have had to.

 

[YAMATO2201]

A: Mary aced the chemistry exam!

Please read post #9.

 

[Raymott]

Please read post #9.

I did when it came up. What you've quoted, I wrote in post #5.
Are you implying that you want further information? I agree with Tdol in post #10.