Sooner or later we will have to make a decision

Torsten · Thu Oct 26, 2006 14:55 pm *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Hi, what would you say is the difference between these phases:

Sooner or later we have to make a tough decision.
Sooner or later we will have to make a tough decision.

Thanks a lot.
Torsten
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Conchita · Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:29 am *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Interesting poser.

'Sooner or later we'll have to make a tough decision' is the way I'd say it, if I referred to one particular situation. In the first sentence, the use of the present simple suggests that we normally have to make a tough decision (at some point in our life) -- we aren't necessarily talking about one specific case.

At least, that's how I understand it.

Tamara · Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:41 am *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Hi

Can I add a word and then ask what I actually did? Smile

Sooner or later we do have to make a tough decision.

Or it just makes no sense?
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Conchita · Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:52 am *Extreme grammar*

Tamara · Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:07 am *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Thanks a lot, Conchita.

...I do love life.
Smile

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FangFang · Fri Oct 27, 2006 16:23 pm *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Hi,friends
Here I don't want to talk about the tense problem. I wonder if the following sentence sounds the same as "Sooner or later we will have to make a tough decision.", as follows:
We will yet have to make a tough decision. Smile

F.F

Conchita · Fri Oct 27, 2006 22:34 pm *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Yankee · Sat Oct 28, 2006 0:11 am *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Hi FangFang

I've decided to assign numbers to some of the sentences in this thread for easier reference: Cool

1. Sooner or later we will have to make a tough decision.
2. We will yet have to make a tough decision.
3. We have yet to make a tough decision.

Here's my take on things:

Sentences 1 and 2 have the same meaning.
Sentence 3 has a different meaning, but it is a more typical sort of sentence than Sentence 2.

Sentences 1 and 2 both anticipate that there will be a tough decision to make in the future. Sentence 1 is the more typical way to express this idea.

Sentence 3 states that there have been no tough decisions in the past. It does not suggest any anticipation of a tough decision in the future.

Amy
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TomWelling · Sun Oct 29, 2006 13:48 pm *Sooner or later we will have to make a decision*

Sooner or later we have to make a tough decision.
Yeah. I agree absolutely.
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