Last month I couldn't make contact...

[Nessie]

Hi, please have a look at this:

Last month I couldn't make contact with you, so I asked Peter to call you. If he (can), then you (be) safe and all right.

=> I have two questions:

1. Is the use of "make contact" here the most natural way of expressing the idea?
2. Should we use conditional clause type III for the second sentence? I think there are two cases:
- If Peter could contact the listener, type III is OK here
- If Peter couldn't, I think type III is not very appropriate here, so what should it be?

Thank you very much.
Nessie.
_________________
:(... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know.. :(

Sorry seems to be the hardest word...

[Haihao]

1. Yes, could be, IMO.
2. If he had made it, you would heve been safe -> he didn't make it.
If he did, you were safe -> not sure if he did or not, but sure if he did, you were safe.

[Yankee]

Hi Nessie

That looks to me like another test sentence that falls into the category "not the best test sentence ever written". :wink:
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Nessie]

No Amy, this time it's not a test sentence. Is's invented by me :D
Suddenly I think of the case (that Peter couldn't, and so type III is not very appropriate here), so I ask for your idea :):P

I suppose this is not really a "never-happen" case, is it?
Thanks a lot, Amy ;)
Nessie.
_________________
:(... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know.. :(

Sorry seems to be the hardest word...

[Yankee]

Hi Nessie

Your sentences are a little awkward to me, and with no further context, I also don't think it's possible to say what would be best or most logical in your second sentence.

As Haihao mentioned, if you begin your second sentence with "If he did", that would indicate that you don't yet know whether Peter did or didn't make contact.

If you begin your second sentence with "If he had", that would indicate that you know Peter did not make contact.

When you say "make contact", am I correct in assuming that you mean something like "get in touch by telephone", or do you mean something more like "make physical contact" (i.e. find, locate, meet)?
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Nessie]

[Nessie]

Hi Amy,
May I know your idea? :P

Thanks a lot.
Nessie :)
_________________
:(... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know.. :(

Sorry seems to be the hardest word...

[Nessie]

Hellooooo........ are you there Amy? Could you please shed some light on this? :P I'm so dumb now :P:P
_________________
:(... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know.. :(

Sorry seems to be the hardest word...

[Yankee]

Hi Nessie

Please reread my previous note that we do not know from the context whether Peter did or did not call. We do not know whether "Peter called" or "Peter did not call" is factual. The past fact is still unknown to us. Basically, you cannot use a Type 3 IF-sentence to refer to an unknown fact. A type 3 IF-sentence is counter-factual, and if you don't know what the past fact is, then you also cannot possibly know what is counter-factual.

There really isn't much in your original two sentences that would suggest or justify the use of a type 3 IF-sentence. Tom would use a type 3 IF-sentence only to talk about something that was counter-factual -- i.e. the opposite of a past event he already knew was a fact. For example, if you added a statement of fact about Peter's call before your IF-sentence, then you could easily use a type 3 IF-sentence afterwards:

Last month I couldn't make contact with you, so I asked Peter to call you. I understand he wasn't able to reach you either. If he had been able to reach you, then at least I would know (would have known) that you are (were) safe and sound.

Known fact: Peter did not reach you
Counter-factual: Peter reached you

With a type 2 IF-sentence, it is possible to talk theoretically about the past if you do not yet know what actually happened in the past.
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln