Anna gave her husband an ultimatum

[Bassim]

Have I made any mistakes? I'm not sure if my second sentence sounds natural.

Anna gave her husband an ultimatum: either he will stop base jumping once and for all, or she will file for divorce. She couldn't bear any longer to wait in fear for the news if he were still alive whenever he went jumping.

 

[emsr2d2]

Have I made any mistakes? I'm not sure if my second sentence sounds natural.

Anna gave her husband an ultimatum: either he [STRIKE]will[/STRIKE] stops base jumping once and for all, or she [STRIKE]will[/STRIKE] files for divorce.

She couldn't bear any longer to wait in fear for the news if he were still alive whenever he went jumping.

Note my corrections to the first sentence. The second sentence needs a lot of work. Start it again.

 

[Bassim]

emsr2d2,

I knew that my second sentence was not good, but the problem is I am not able to write it correctly. I will try the second time.

She couldn't stand it any longer waiting in fear for the news if he were alive or dead whenever he went jumping.

 

[emsr2d2]

She could no longer stand the suspense of waiting to hear if he had died or survived every time he jumped.

 

[GoesStation]

Anna gave her husband an ultimatum ....

He can't say she never gave him anything.

 

[tedmc]

I think the verbs could also be in the past tense:
either he stopped... or she filed...

 

[GoesStation]

I think the verbs could also be in the past tense:
either he stopped... or she filed...

Not quite, but either he stopped … or she'd file …. would work.

 

[tedmc]

Yes, I missed the "would".

 

[Tdol]

Anna gave her husband an ultimatum: either he will stops base jumping once and for all, or she will files for divorce.

I think that files/will file both work.

 

[tedmc]

Anna gave her husband an ultimatum: either he will stops base jumping once and for all, or she will files for divorce.

I think that files/will file both work.

will stops?

 

[emsr2d2]

will stops?

Tdol was quoting my original corrected post in which I deleted "will" twice. For some reason, the strikethrough has vanished in Tdol's quote.

 

[Phaedrus]

Not quite, but either he stopped … or she'd file …. would work.

What a fun sentence to edit! I think I would use would both on the either-side of the either-or and on the or-side of it:

Anna gave her husband an ultimatum: either he would stop BASE jumping once and for all, or she would file for divorce.

What follows the colon is essentially "backshifted" indirect speech for Either you will do this or I will do that.

Here's another option, but it intrudes more upon Bassim's original. (Incidentally, BASE is technically an acronym.)

Anna gave her husband an ultimatum to stop BASE jumping once and for all or to find himself another wife.