Help me choose a verb
January 28, 2010 2:41 PM Subscribe
I need a bit of grammar help, please.
Which sentence is gramatically correct?
1. If I could go anywhere I want, I would go to London.
2. If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London.
Which sentence is gramatically correct?
1. If I could go anywhere I want, I would go to London.
2. If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London.
I think they're both okay, although the different tenses of want seem to indicate different contexts. In 1) the implication is of a more immediate consideration, whereas 2) implies a more removed and less situation-centered question.
posted by dervish at 2:44 PM on January 28, 2010
posted by dervish at 2:44 PM on January 28, 2010
2. is correct. 1 should be "If I can go anywhere I want..."
can --> want
could --> wanted
Maybe someone with more knowledge of the subjunctive mood can help me out here, but 1. is for something that is likely to happen, or will happen in the future. 2. is for something unlikely -- it implies that the speaker can't actually go anywhere she wants (but if she could, etc.)
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 2:47 PM on January 28, 2010
can --> want
could --> wanted
Maybe someone with more knowledge of the subjunctive mood can help me out here, but 1. is for something that is likely to happen, or will happen in the future. 2. is for something unlikely -- it implies that the speaker can't actually go anywhere she wants (but if she could, etc.)
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 2:47 PM on January 28, 2010
Adding to chesty's answer, I think you would continue by saying "I will to go to London."
can, want, will
could, wanted, would
posted by soelo at 2:51 PM on January 28, 2010
can, want, will
could, wanted, would
posted by soelo at 2:51 PM on January 28, 2010
1. If I could go anywhere I want [to], I would go to London.
2. If I could go anywhere I wanted [to], I would go to London.
Number one doesn't sound right when you complete the... whatever it's called.
posted by biochemist at 2:54 PM on January 28, 2010
2. If I could go anywhere I wanted [to], I would go to London.
Number one doesn't sound right when you complete the... whatever it's called.
posted by biochemist at 2:54 PM on January 28, 2010
Definite future event: "If I can go anywhere I want, I will go to London."
Hypothetical future event: "If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London."
Hypothetical past event: "If I could have gone anywhere I wanted, I would have gone to London."
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 2:55 PM on January 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hypothetical future event: "If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London."
Hypothetical past event: "If I could have gone anywhere I wanted, I would have gone to London."
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 2:55 PM on January 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
This is a matter of the sequence of tenses. Does an if clause of type 2 mean that all the other verbs in the sentence have to be used in the past? Wiki says there are two approaches to the problem, the natural and the attracted sequence, and that both are deemed correct (or at least not "wrong").
I would mention, however, that everyone learning English as a second language is taught that the superordinate clause defines the tense of the subordinate clause. To quote Wiki, "If the main verb of a sentence is in the past tense, then other verbs must also express a past viewpoint, except when a general truth is being expressed."
In other words, wanted.
posted by wet-raspberry at 3:01 PM on January 28, 2010
I would mention, however, that everyone learning English as a second language is taught that the superordinate clause defines the tense of the subordinate clause. To quote Wiki, "If the main verb of a sentence is in the past tense, then other verbs must also express a past viewpoint, except when a general truth is being expressed."
In other words, wanted.
posted by wet-raspberry at 3:01 PM on January 28, 2010
Chesty + soelo have it. So:
If I can go anywhere I want, I will go to London.
If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London.
These are both correct. They mean different things.
The can/want/will sentence might mean, for instance: "There's some set of rules; I don't know what they are, but I'll find out. Once I find out, and if the answer is I can go wherever I want, then I will go to London."
The could/wanted/would sentence means: "I'm not free to go wherever I want. But let's imagine, contrary to fact, that I'm free to do so. In that case, I would go to London."
That's all pretty much based on my intuition. Maybe someone can come along and explain it in more formal terms. And I'm pretty sure someone will be coming along to say that there are no grammatical rules and you should do whatever you feel like.
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:05 PM on January 28, 2010
If I can go anywhere I want, I will go to London.
If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London.
These are both correct. They mean different things.
The can/want/will sentence might mean, for instance: "There's some set of rules; I don't know what they are, but I'll find out. Once I find out, and if the answer is I can go wherever I want, then I will go to London."
The could/wanted/would sentence means: "I'm not free to go wherever I want. But let's imagine, contrary to fact, that I'm free to do so. In that case, I would go to London."
That's all pretty much based on my intuition. Maybe someone can come along and explain it in more formal terms. And I'm pretty sure someone will be coming along to say that there are no grammatical rules and you should do whatever you feel like.
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:05 PM on January 28, 2010
I'd go for option three:
If I could go anywhere, I would go to London.
Why waffle over something that's unnecessary?
posted by Sys Rq at 3:14 PM on January 28, 2010
If I could go anywhere, I would go to London.
Why waffle over something that's unnecessary?
posted by Sys Rq at 3:14 PM on January 28, 2010
this ^^^
(alternately: "If I were able to go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London")
posted by mr. remy at 3:26 PM on January 28, 2010
(alternately: "If I were able to go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London")
posted by mr. remy at 3:26 PM on January 28, 2010
If you must, I agree with "wanted."
But I'm really in the Sys Rq camp voting for removing it all together.
posted by citywolf at 3:57 PM on January 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
But I'm really in the Sys Rq camp voting for removing it all together.
posted by citywolf at 3:57 PM on January 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
I agree with those who are suggesting 'wanted.' As far as I know, the subjunctive mood dictates it.
posted by fso at 5:16 PM on January 28, 2010
posted by fso at 5:16 PM on January 28, 2010
"want" on the grounds that the action implied by the verb is in the present tense.
posted by Neiltupper at 5:24 PM on January 28, 2010
posted by Neiltupper at 5:24 PM on January 28, 2010
Technically, they both make sense:
If I could go anywhere I want, I would go to London.
There are places that I currently want to go. If I had the choice of going any of those places, then I would go to London.
If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London.
Let's suppose that there were many possible places that I wanted to go. One of those places would certainly be London. Let's further suppose that I had the option of going any of those places. In that case, I would go to London.
But it feels jarring to see "can" and "would" in the same frame of reference. So option 2 is the way it would usually be written, even though it can be written another way. ;)
posted by bingo at 5:54 PM on January 28, 2010
If I could go anywhere I want, I would go to London.
There are places that I currently want to go. If I had the choice of going any of those places, then I would go to London.
If I could go anywhere I wanted, I would go to London.
Let's suppose that there were many possible places that I wanted to go. One of those places would certainly be London. Let's further suppose that I had the option of going any of those places. In that case, I would go to London.
But it feels jarring to see "can" and "would" in the same frame of reference. So option 2 is the way it would usually be written, even though it can be written another way. ;)
posted by bingo at 5:54 PM on January 28, 2010
I think you can do a little digging on conditional subjunctives and get your head around this.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 7:21 PM on January 28, 2010
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 7:21 PM on January 28, 2010
My comment to this AskMe covers this pretty well.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 7:51 PM on January 28, 2010
posted by war wrath of wraith at 7:51 PM on January 28, 2010
You simply have two awkward choices. When you have a situation like this, it is best simply to re-write it trying to capture the same sense.
Example--instead of:
"If I could go anywhere I want, I would go to London."
Try:
"Given a choice of travel destinations, London would top my list."
But I would need the context to suggest the best rephrasing.
posted by supremefiction at 5:00 AM on January 29, 2010
Example--instead of:
"If I could go anywhere I want, I would go to London."
Try:
"Given a choice of travel destinations, London would top my list."
But I would need the context to suggest the best rephrasing.
posted by supremefiction at 5:00 AM on January 29, 2010
supremefiction, that assumes pretentiousness is acceptable. Which is honestly how I read your example. I don't think the original choices are awkward at all; they're standard English usage.
posted by etoile at 6:17 PM on January 29, 2010
posted by etoile at 6:17 PM on January 29, 2010
I'm not sure whether you're saying that 1) my response is pretentious, or 2) my alternate suggestion is pretentious. Maybe you mean both. Why don't your try re-writing your comment to make the sense clearer?
While you're at it you can write an answer to the post rather than dissing my attempt to help, as the note below suggests.
P.S. "Awkward" and "standard English usage" are not mutually exclusive categories.
posted by supremefiction at 8:08 PM on February 2, 2010
While you're at it you can write an answer to the post rather than dissing my attempt to help, as the note below suggests.
P.S. "Awkward" and "standard English usage" are not mutually exclusive categories.
posted by supremefiction at 8:08 PM on February 2, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:43 PM on January 28, 2010