If you will keep going

[keannu]

Mr. Reed: Yes, that’s right. But you can’t stop there. Along with your visualization, you also have to actually start doing things to work towards your goal. Goals and visualizations are meaningless without action.At each step in the process, you should perform a physical act that will get you at least a little bit closer to your goal. If you keep going without giving up, no one will be able to stop you from achieving what you’ve set out to do. This process doesn’t seem too difficult, does it?

Can you say "if you will keep going" as well if you emphasize your willingness? I think even in an "if clause", you can say "will" to denote some willingness in rare cases.

 

[Grumpy]

Not in this case, and I can't actually think of any scenario where it would be suitable. Anybody?

 

[emsr2d2]

Not in that context, no. In BrE, we do use "If you will keep ..." in certain situations, like this one:

John: My girlfriend dumped me last night.
Steve: Oh dear. What happened?
John: She said I never treat her to anything nice.
Steve: Well, if you will keep taking her to the local pub instead of to a decent restaurant ...!

The "..." replaces "I'm not surprised" or "that is what is likely to happen".

 

[Grumpy]

Bravo! I wish I'd thought of that.

If you will keep showing me up like that.....

 

[jawgar]

"Will" plus "keep" + verb adds the sense of "will", as in deliberately, to the action. However it usually implies deliberately doing something wrong.


If you will keep smoking don't be surprised it you get cancer.

It is more likely a spoken usage with a stress on "will".

 

[keannu]

Does only negative willingness go with "will" in if sentence? What about this?

A : The Richards will drive you to the airport.
B : If they will drive to the airport, we don't have to take the limousine.

I've seen this, and in this case, "will" definitely gives a positive nuance, doesn't it?

 

[Tarheel]

A : The Richards will drive you to the airport.:tick:
B : If they will drive to the airport, we don't have to take the limousine.

For "B" try:

If they are going to drive you to the airport you don't have to take the limousine.

or

If they are going to drive us to the airport we don't have to take the limousine.




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[Weaver67]

And how about the following sentences?

1) If that will help you get it over, I'll lend you the money.
2) If that will save our family, I'll give up drinking.

Not a teacher.

 

[emsr2d2]

And how about the following sentences?

1) If that will help you get it over, I'll lend you the money.
2) If that will save our family, I'll give up drinking.

Not a teacher.

They're fine if you replace "that" with "it".

 

[keannu]

There seems to be no rule for adding "will" to if clause. Negative or positive meaning doesn't seem to matter.

 

[emsr2d2]

We've said it before, we'll say it again - many aspects of English don't follow "rules".

 

[Weaver67]

We've said it before, we'll say it again - many aspects of English don't follow "rules".

Yes, sure. Many of us, non-natives, are well aware of that. But the thing is, we just haven't got years of experience using English as you, natives, have, and didn't have any opportunity to acquire the language naturally, so it is little wonder and is hardly surprising that we just have to use logic and thus need some sort of "rules" to rely on - we just need everything to be explained somehow. At the same time, we are also very well aware of your, the teacher's, making every effort to help us with it (which is not at all an easy task sometimes) and appreciate it most greatly (I am pretty certain that many of the non-natives on this forum would share this opinion!).

And now to the topic, I have found something that might be of help to those who "crave for rules" ;-). I am just going to cite it here:

"1.results
We use will with if to talk about what will happen because of possible future action - to mean 'if this will be the later result'. Compare:

-I'll give you £100 if I win the lottery. (Winning the lottery is a condition - it must happen first.)
I'll give you £100 if it'll help you to go on holiday. (The holiday is a result -it follows the gift of money.)
-We'll go home now if you get the car. (condition)
We'll go home now if it will make you feel better. (result)..."

The source is "Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan (third edition, page 237). Apart from "1. results", there are also 2, 3, 4, and 5. The usage described by emsr2d2 at the beginning of this thread goes under number 5. And Swan named it "insistence".

Not a teacher.

 

[Tarheel]

There seems to be no rule for adding "will" to if clause. Negative or positive meaning don't seem to matter.

(Plural noun)

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

I'm not so sure about that.

Two singular elements separated by 'or' are taken to agree individually with the verb. 'A negative or a positive meaning doesn't seem to matter.'

On the other hand, you could be right (since there weren't any indefinite articles in the original sentence) if you consider that it should have been, ' Negative or positive meanings don't seem to matter.'

 

[Tarheel]

Roman55, you are probably right. Certainly, it is an unnatural sentence. Better would be:

Whether the meaning is negative or positive doesn't seem to matter.


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