If you wish ... you should have kept ...

Hi, Raymond,

@raymondaliasapollyon posted:

Is the following conditional sentence okay? It's different from the kinds discussed in a textbook.

If you wish you hadn't offended her, you should have kept your opinions to yourself.

Though different from the conventional types of conditionals, the sentence above is correct. The wish is placed in the present time, and the reprimand being made now refers to a past action. See this similar sentence:

- If you are so sorry for having offended her, then you should have kept your opinions to yourself.

Thank you, Gustavo. Do you know what semantic or pragmatic relation holds between the main and subordinate clauses?

@raymondaliasapollyon posted:

If you wish you hadn't offended her, you should have kept your opinions to yourself.

@raymondaliasapollyon posted:

Do you know what semantic or pragmatic relation holds between the main and subordinate clauses?

Hi, Ray—I think that "If" could be replaced with "Given that" in your specimen:

• Given that you wish you hadn't offended her, you should have kept your opinions to yourself.

@David, Moderator posted:

• Given that you wish you hadn't offended her, you should have kept your opinions to yourself.

That's an effective paraphrase. I think "considering that you wish ..." could also work. Perhaps the most interesting thing regarding this kind of conditionals is that, unlike others where condition and result are related at a predictive or hypothetical level, in this case we are speaking about facts.

I think the sentence is like "If you are hungry, there is a sandwich on the table," where the if-clause provides grounds for making the statement in the main clause, and the main clause implies "let me tell you" at the front.

Exactly: If you happen to be hungry, know there is a sandwich on the table.