English term
and the dog had a sweet tooth
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Post master: That's teeth marks. That's where dogs have bitten my leg.
Man: You mean dogs bite your leg when you deliver the mail?
Post master: Oh, bad dogs do. Now back to business. Have you finished filling out that registration receipt?
Man: Oh, yes. Here it is. Thank you.
Post master: Now we write the same number on your parcel and on the receipts. So, if it gets lost, we can find it easily.
Man: Oh, could a bad dog bite a parcel like it bit your leg?
Post master: Oh, sure it could, especially if it were chocolates and the dog had a sweet tooth. Ha, ha, ha.
Man: Oh.
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(and the dog had a sweet tooth) ←
Is "and the dog had a sweet tooth" a conditional sentence?
I mean this:→ (and if the dog had a sweet tooth)
OR it is a declarative sentence?
Thank you
| 4 +2 | subjunctive |
Tony M
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Oct 30, 2021 11:45: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "(none)" to "basic English grammar"
Non-PRO (1): Tony M
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Responses
subjunctive
The 'were' and 'had' are subjunctive forms of 'to be' and 'to have' — these are some of the few remaining visible relics of conjugations in the subjunctive mood left in EN. "If I were you..." being a common example.
| Thank you so much, Tony |
| agree |
Charlotte Fleming
: The "if" applies to both the parcel and the dog: "if it were chocolates and [if] the dog had a sweet tooth". It's not necessary to repeat the "if" because the subjunctive is used instead.
4 mins
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Thanks, Charlotte!
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| agree |
writeaway
4 hrs
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Thanks, W/A!
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Discussion
Your explanation and example was very helpful for me.