Tenses in if-clauses referring to the past

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi there,

I’ve got a question about the tense used in the main clause in conditional sentences referring to the past. In such a conditional sentence, you normally have to use would + have + past participle but one of my pupils wrote this sentence in a writing task

If my teammate hadn’t been nearby, I would probably still lie there.

Is there an exception to the rule with this type of if-clause? Could you also use “would still be lying there” to show that the action is still going on?

Thank you very much for your help!

2

He should have written

“I would probably still be lying there.”

3

Strictly grammatically, he should have written thus: … I would probably still have been lying there.

4

‘I would probably still be lying there’ is acceptable - he would be there now.
‘I would probably still have been lying there’ - indicates that he would have been there until something else happened and is possibly not there now.

5

You are often bisecting the formal structure. The nature of the statement should be either Type II or Type III as has been discussed many a time. I’m not in favour of a mix. The ‘past perfect’ part is an indicator of the fact that the speaker has survived because of the presence of his teammate. He is no longer lying there. What does the statement actually suggest - that the speaker ‘would still be there’ or ‘would still have been there’?

6

There is no reason NOT to mix the tenses if the speaker wishes to indicate that he would be lying there right up to the present moment.

7

I’m sorry that you have imagined it beyond one’s guess and tried to justify the position. Nonetheless, it is indigestible to me, indeed!

8

If you were to visit the UK or the USA, over time it may become a little more digestible - you would become more familiar with it.

9

Alternatively, I’m sure conversations and communications with Britons and Americans would serve the purpose. Incidentally, I do have a plan to visit the US shortly. Let me see if can ever come to the UK. Thanks for the suggestion.