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 #47 (permalink) Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:27 am Conditional tense I |
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dear my teacher
the form of conditional type 1 in the main clause use "will+verb 1" if so how can it be "you have" for q-9 ? |
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 Tsehaye
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| #48 (permalink) Mon May 16, 2011 14:37 pm Conditional tense I |
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| doaa now I think the sentence is will have to is right because I talk in my school the grammer is if-simple present the result is will+infintive |
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Moawaddoaa
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| #49 (permalink) Mon May 16, 2011 15:28 pm Conditional tense I |
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Hello to all test-takers,
There are currently TWO correct answers in this test. Option (a) have is correct. And option (c) will have is also correct. Either one of those options would be grammatically correct and would reflect common usage.
Unfortunately, option (c) has been wrongly marked as 'incorrect'. The founders of this site and the author of this test were informed about this problem years ago, but the test was never fixed.
Any of you who chose 'will have' as the correct answer, you were RIGHT! That is one of the correct answers!
I sympathize with those of you who have been frustrated because there have been no answers to your questions. It's high time someone explained the problem to you.
And it's high time Alan finally repaired this test.
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Esl_Expert
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| #50 (permalink) Tue May 17, 2011 20:33 pm Conditional tense I |
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| Sows wrote: |
finally we didn't get answer from anybody!!
If you really want to be helpful, then you will have to tell me the truth.
If it rains tomorrow, I'll have to stay (at) home. |
Hi Sows,
I'm sorry that none of the test writers have been able to answer your question. So, here is an answer for you and any other test-takers who don't understand this test. (Better late than never, eh?)
As I mentioned above, there are two correct answers to this test question. However, one of the correct answers has wrongly been marked as incorrect, and this problem has not yet been repaired.
You can say this:
- If you really want to be helpful, then you have to tell me the truth. (option a)
AND you can say this:
- If you really want to be helpful, then you will have to tell me the truth. (option c)
Both option a (have) AND option c (will have) are grammatically correct, and both would be natural. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either one.
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You cannot add 'will' to a modal verb such as 'must' -- i.e. you cannot say something like 'He will must arrive early tomorrow'. Nor can you change 'must' to a past form -- i.e. you cannot say 'He musted arrive early yesterday'.
However, 'have to' is not a pure modal verb. It is a semi-modal verb, which means you CAN change the form: You can say 'will have to'. You can also change it to other forms, such as the past ('had to').
If the test sentence had used 'must' instead of 'have to', then it would NOT have been possible to say 'will must'. Only 'must' would have been a possible option.
However, because 'have to' is only semi-modal, both 'have to' AND 'will have to' are correct options for the test sentence.
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Finally, as regards your sentence about the rain, yes, it is correct (though I personally would not have included 'at').
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“To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.” ~ Charles Darwin |
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Esl_Expert
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| #51 (permalink) Thu May 19, 2011 7:17 am Conditional tense I |
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| Sows wrote: |
finally we didn't get answer from anybody!!
if you really want to be helpful, then you will have to tell me the truth.
If it rains tomorrow, I'll have to stay at home. |
Sows, I'll tell you what. Nothing be changed!
Last month I got a registered file from the HM Revenue and Customs, containing, 'If you haven't taxed until Christmas, you've to go to The Bloody Tower for the rest of your life.' It's for real, I can show you.
'Jeez, I can't pay,' I thought to myself.
So I went to Santa, asking for help.
But he only said, 'You're indeed a nice dwarf. But if you haven't cleared until Evesday, I will have to handcuff you.'
'All in cahoots with each other, but I can't pay,' I thought to myself.
So I went to SloppyBarb, asking for help.
'Hi sweety, you look terrible. What's happening to you,' she moaned with pleasure.
'Oh beauty, If you really want to help me, you must give me all your savings,' I stuttered.
'Okay, If you want me to give my all then you've to keep my slave, evermore,' she shouted with glee.
'No way out,' I thought to myself, 'If I don't want to go to jail, I will have to see her ugly face, day in day out. What should I do?'
“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” *James Dean, symbol of rebellion, 1931-1955
Sows, that's the way it is. Are you alright?
The meaning of 'Have to' in itself implies a strong possible future doing in any cases. So, 'will' is not a duty here as usual in such questions. It is valid, but formal, not clear or conclusive, subjective, for me artificial. The choice 'have' is correct without any doubt. The choice 'will have' is secondary, redundant, not compulsory, and as such wrong. It's only a red herring.
You can use all modal structures like a future!
EvilDwarf
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| #52 (permalink) Thu May 19, 2011 7:44 am Conditional tense I |
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Hello ED,
You seem to be contradicting yourself throughout your post. As you are an 'evil' dwarf perhaps it was your intention to be a little wicked.
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Beeesneees
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| #53 (permalink) Fri May 20, 2011 0:59 am Conditional tense I |
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| EvilDwarf wrote: |
| The meaning of 'Have to' in itself implies a strong possible future doing in any cases. |
That's right, oh Evil one. ;-) And in the test sentence, the use of 'have to' would be very strong.
| EvilDwarf wrote: |
| So, 'will' is not a duty here as usual in such questions. |
That's right. The use of 'will have to' is not absolutely required, but neither is 'have to' absolutely required (a 'duty', as you put it). Both options are possible AND natural AND grammatically correct.
| EvilDwarf wrote: |
| It is valid, but formal, not clear or conclusive, subjective, for me artificial. |
I'm afraid you're on the wrong track. Perhaps your native language is leading you astray. (You're German, right?) I can assure you that the use of 'will have to' in the test sentence is not artificial in the least. Nor is it any more formal than 'have to'. However, it would tend to sound a bit less harsh and/or less dogmatic than 'have to', and that is something people frequently do in English -- soften their language. People often make a conscious attempt NOT to sound impolite or too dogmatic. Based on what I've seen you write in other threads, I gather you don't always think being polite or trying to sound less dogmatic is terribly important. ;-)
| EvilDwarf wrote: |
| The choice 'have' is correct without any doubt. |
Right, and there is also no doubt whatsoever that option c ('will have') is also correct. Both options are equally correct.
| EvilDwarf wrote: |
| The choice 'will have' is secondary, redundant, not compulsory, and as such Wrong. It's only a red herring. |
Wrong, I'm afraid. The fact that 'will have' is marked as being incorrect is simply an error in this test. The only possible reason that this error hasn't been corrected yet is that the author is not willing to admit that he overlooked something when he wrote the test. In the time it has taken Alan to write all of his responses in this thread (many with recordings), and then also to go to the trouble of deleting six of those posts, he could have repaired this test many times over. Easily.
| EvilDwarf wrote: |
| You can use all modal structures like a future! |
Yes, you can, but 'have to' is only semi-modal and does not follow all of the same rules that 'pure' modals follow. There are also some restrictions that 'pure' modals have that simply do not apply to semi-modals.
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Esl_Expert
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| #54 (permalink) Fri May 20, 2011 9:17 am Conditional tense I |
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Oh, you both, you're right as ever. But I'm only a man, a bellicose, lunatic ... I'll have to work on me, no I will, really. But I've bettered me a bit, have I Ms Beeesneees?
| Ms/Mr Esl_Expert wrote: |
| It's me wrote: |
| The choice 'will have' is ... as such wrong. |
Wrong, I'm afraid. The fact that...is being marked as..
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Funny, 'The choice is wrong' means 'So as it is marked is bad' and not 'This is the false solution'. 'To be wrong' is the bad phrase here, isn't it?
Yep, when I say 'have to' than mean 'have to'. We have in German a similar saying like 'will have to' for making a must weaker or giving serious advice. For me it is often a bit put on.
Have a nice day
EvilDwarf
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EvilDwarf
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| #55 (permalink) Fri May 20, 2011 18:19 pm Conditional tense I |
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| EvilDwarf wrote: |
| Oh, you both, you're right as ever. But I'm only a man, a bellicose, lunatic ... I'll have to work on me, no I will, really. But I've bettered me a bit, have I Ms Beeesneees? |
Pretty soon we'll have to be calling you "SlightlyNaughtyDwarf".
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Beeesneees
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| #56 (permalink) Sun May 22, 2011 10:27 am Conditional tense I |
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A number of posts have been surreptitiously deleted from this thread.
For example, this one:
Can you please explain why?
Can you also explain why this very relevant question was removed:
Given that it has now become obvious that both answers are correct, are you simply saying:
"This is my test and I will not edit it to make it correct"
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Beeesneees
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| #57 (permalink) Sun May 22, 2011 10:48 am Conditional tense I |
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Yes. There are two reasons:
1 They are irrelevant.
2 They add no useful information for the learners of English who use these forums.
Alan
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| #58 (permalink) Sun May 22, 2011 10:55 am Conditional tense I |
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Actually they are very relevant unless you are saying that you don't care about rigour and accuracy in your tests.
They add useful information because they highlight the fact that there is more than one correct answer and they seek confirmation of that.
I can post more examples to illustrate my point if you wish.
Given that it has now become obvious that both answers are correct, are you simply saying:
"This is my test and I will not edit it to make it correct"
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Beeesneees
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| #59 (permalink) Sun May 22, 2011 11:01 am Conditional tense I |
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Hi,
You are simply highlighting the points to which I referred above. Please don't put words into my mouth. I am quite capable of expressing myself without your help.
Alan
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| #60 (permalink) Sun May 22, 2011 11:07 am Conditional tense I |
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Another smokescreen.
I have words of my own... which you seem intent on surreptitiously editing.
Yes or no: given that it has now become obvious that both answers are correct, are you simply saying:
"This is my test and I will not edit it to make it correct".
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Beeesneees
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| How to use the conditionals in English? | 'as soon as' vs 'when' |
