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IF-Conditional vs Future Unreal Conditional?



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
what is the meaning of "simply"? | "in case of whom" or "in case of which"?
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IF-Conditional vs Future Unreal Conditional? #1 (permalink) Sun Feb 08, 2009 13:29 pm   IF-Conditional vs Future Unreal Conditional?
 

Teachers, is this conditional sentence a mixed conditional?

If he was going to do something crazy, he would've done it by now.

I suppose the IF conditional of the above is the future unreal conditional, or would it be just a real past conditional?

Please help!!! Thanks so much!
LovelyJ
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IF-Conditional // Future Unreal Conditional? #2 (permalink) Sun Feb 08, 2009 15:29 pm   IF-Conditional // Future Unreal Conditional?
 

Hi Lovely,

Technically, according to the 'grammar books' this is an example of a so-called second conditional and a third conditional. If you used the 'full' third conditional' it would be: If he had been going to ...,he would have done it.... The tense of 'If he was ..' is past condtional and the 'would have done ' is perfect conditional. Having said all that, I have to say that the sentence is perfectly acceptable.

Alan
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