“if he were alive, he would be” vs. “would have been”
There is a structure used by native speakers that I often read on social media, referring to people who have passed away, on the day of their anniversary. e.g. “He would have been 60 today.” Shouldn’t it be “He would be 60 today”? Meaning, if he were alive, he would be 60 today.
Submit Your Comment
©2024 CYCLE Interactive, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.
There is a good explanation of mixed conditionals here:
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.co.nz/2011/02/more-on-condtionals-third-and-mixed.html
If I remember correctly, there is a comment in Michael Lewis's "Lexical Approach" (1993) that in conditional sentence one just uses the appropriate tense and modal. If we construe "would" as a modal subjunctive indicating a counter-factual situation, and "have been" as a perfect infinitive indicating the situation is in the past, then this does not sit well with the time adverb "today".
However, I do believe that in some areas, such as Quebec, usage may be different, so there may be some wiggle-room here.
jayles the unworthy Mar-23-2017
6 votes Permalink Report Abuse
“would have been” is 3d condition wich is unreal past.So that can't be used in this case.The correct version is “He would be 60 today”.
For “would have been” it should be “if he were alive, he would have been 60 yesterday”
Sasha888 Apr-17-2017
10 votes Permalink Report Abuse
If he were alive, he would be 60 today.
If he had been alive, he would have been 60 yesterday.
But it's hard to see what the difference in meaning is.
Percy Aug-11-2017
8 votes Permalink Report Abuse
I need to understand correct use of " had been". Can I write a sentence in this way:
My dead son had been a good friend of mine. He had been a brave boy who fought courageously. He had been suffering from liver cancer etc...
Zeeshan Butt Nov-03-2017
7 votes Permalink Report Abuse
To solve this you have to put a 5 pound raw chicken covered in salt from the Indian ocean in a blender. Then you have blended chicken.
connor Dec-12-2017
3 votes Permalink Report Abuse
To solve this you have to put a 5 pound raw chicken covered in salt from the Indian ocean in a blender. Then you have blended chicken.
connor Dec-12-2017
4 votes Permalink Report Abuse
If I were to write,....."He would be twenty today." Would that mean that today would have been his twentieth birthday or would that mean that, were he still alive, he would be twenty years old at this time?
Thank you.
Binky Feb-16-2019
0 vote Permalink Report Abuse
Convenient. More recently, I was also interested in this topic and looked for examples at https://papersowl.com/examples/an-analysis-of-macbeths-ambition/ in "An analysis of Macbeth's ambition" I met there. I don't know how accurate it is written and it seems to be true.
Hilanne Jan-20-2022
0 vote Permalink Report Abuse
Hey there! I'm Adam Bosler, a guy who's all about living life to the fullest and connecting with like-minded people. Whether you're looking for something fun and casual or just someone to vibe with, I'm open to new experiences and love exploring what the night has to offer. I enjoy the spontaneity of hookups and believe in keeping things simple and exciting. Life’s short, and I prefer not to overcomplicate things—let's just enjoy the moment and see where it takes us.
What I love about hookup sites with accurate geolocation is how they make meeting up effortless. Finding guys nearby for some no-strings-attached fun has never been easier, and I’m always down for quick meetups or an adventurous night out. If you’re into hookups, great conversation, and a hassle-free connection, you’ve come to the right place.
If you're looking for something hot and spontaneous, we can take advantage of these great platforms that make it easy to find someone nearby. Hit me up—let's turn that spark into something unforgettable!
adambosler1988 Oct-17-2024
0 vote Permalink Report Abuse
https://www.customessaymeister.com/
adambosler1988 Oct-17-2024
0 vote Permalink Report Abuse