If you only

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reginaregina

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Here are some sentences from a poem:

The Baby's Secret

OH! stupid gorwn-up people who think yourselves so wise,
If you only saw what I see-saw with a baby's eyes!

What does "If you only" mean here? Then why past tense "saw" is used here? Thank you.
 
'If only' has a similar meaning to 'I wish'. The past tense is use as a distancing-in-reality tense. Grown-up people cannot see with a baby's eyes; we are dealing with a counterfactual hypothesis.

If I have time tomorrow, I will help you - possible.
If I had time now, I would help you. - hypothetical; I do not have time.
I wish I had time now. - hypothetical; I do not have time.
I wish grown-up people saw with baby's eyes. - hypthetical; they don't
If only grown-up people saw with baby's eyes. - hypothetical, they don't.
 
reginaregina said:
Here are some sentences from a poem:

The Baby's Secret

OH! stupid gorwn-up people who think yourselves so wise,
If you only saw what I see-saw with a baby's eyes!

What does "If you only" mean here? Then why past tense "saw" is used here? Thank you.
Click to expand...
"See-saw" should not be a hyphenated word here. If you mean it to be a dash, then you need to leave a space on either side ("see - saw"). A see-saw is an entirely different thing.
 
Raymott said:
"See-saw" should not be a hyphenated word here. If you mean it to be a dash, then you need to leave a space on either side ("see - saw"). A see-saw is an entirely different thing.
Click to expand...
So what does"see-saw"mean with no space on either side? Thank you.
 
fivejedjon said:
But, like all words, it is written with a space before and after it.
Click to expand...

The dictionary says seesaw is an outdoor toy. Someone tells me see-saw is a game parents play with babys in order to make the baby’s view is similar to someone’s view of the other person. Is that true?
 
reginaregina said:
The dictionary says seesaw is an outdoor toy. Someone tells me see-saw is a game parents play with babys in order to make the baby’s view is similar to someone’s view of the other person. Is that true?
Click to expand...
Which dictionary? The one 5jj gave a link to doesn't - though it does call it a toy. I'd call it a plaything.
 
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