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26 May 2018, 00:57
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Hi everyone! I'm quite new to Gmat club so I am not sure if asking this question here is appropriate but I'm giving a try. (please advise if not).
I came across this sample on Cambridge dictionary for the verb "Conceive."
- He couldn't conceive of a time when he would have no job.
I got confused about the above sentence. My confusion is as follows:
- "He couldn't conceive of a time" -> the sentence is talking about the past when he was not able to get the feeling of time. The action happened in the past -> Then why the next clause used a conditional "would" when it could use a simple past? In example,
He couldn't conceive of a time when he did not have a job.
Does the use of "would" make the condition-result to be true not only in the past but also in the future whenever he is left jobless again ?
Please advise.
Thank you very much.
I came across this sample on Cambridge dictionary for the verb "Conceive."
- He couldn't conceive of a time when he would have no job.
I got confused about the above sentence. My confusion is as follows:
- "He couldn't conceive of a time" -> the sentence is talking about the past when he was not able to get the feeling of time. The action happened in the past -> Then why the next clause used a conditional "would" when it could use a simple past? In example,
He couldn't conceive of a time when he did not have a job.
Does the use of "would" make the condition-result to be true not only in the past but also in the future whenever he is left jobless again ?
Please advise.
Thank you very much.
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26 May 2018, 01:21
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alexlearning17
'Did not' signifies an already happened action. He could not conceive of a [hypothetical time ]. Since the action of him not having a job is hypothetical, 'would' is correct here. 'Would' is used in hypothetical situations. E.g I thought he would come to the party.
(Actually he did not come to the party. )
27 May 2018, 12:07
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Hi Alex,
First, let's be clear about the meaning: "he couldn't conceive of" means "he could not possibly imagine" (not "he couldn't get the feeling").
Then, as you identified, the sentence is describing the past. When we talk about the future from the perspective of the past, we use the conditional ("would"). This is important to know for the GMAT, as it does come up.
For example, a CEO stands in front of the media and says "We will expand into China in 2019."
Then, a week later, the media report: "At last week's press conference, the CEO announced that the company would be expanding into China in 2019."
There is nothing hypothetical in this sentence. We use "would" to capture that the CEO was talking about the future in the past.
Does this help clear it up?
Quote:
First, let's be clear about the meaning: "he couldn't conceive of" means "he could not possibly imagine" (not "he couldn't get the feeling").
Then, as you identified, the sentence is describing the past. When we talk about the future from the perspective of the past, we use the conditional ("would"). This is important to know for the GMAT, as it does come up.
For example, a CEO stands in front of the media and says "We will expand into China in 2019."
Then, a week later, the media report: "At last week's press conference, the CEO announced that the company would be expanding into China in 2019."
There is nothing hypothetical in this sentence. We use "would" to capture that the CEO was talking about the future in the past.
Does this help clear it up?
