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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > If clause    

If clause



abirou
American Samoa

If clause
 
HELP please ...!
Would you please transform the following sentence, found in an exam, using an if -clause?
 The Chinese tried and tasted various kinds of wild plants because they used them to cure diseases.
Which one is correct : If the Chinese hadn �t tried and tasted various kinds of wild plants, they wouldn �t have used them to cure diseases?
Or : If the Chinese hadn �t used (various kinds of) wild plants to cure diseases,  they wouldn �t have tried and tasted them?    Or both are correct.
                           THANK YOU VERY MUCH

16 May 2011      





yanogator
United States

Both are grammatically correct, of course, but only the first one makes sense. I just read your post more carefully, and it�s the second "if" sentence that expresses the idea of the original sentence. However, that sentence doesn�t make sense. If they didn�t try and taste them because they used them to cure diseases. They couldn�t have known that they cure diseases if they hadn�t tried them first.
 
It�s no wonder you�re confused! The person who wrote this test question seems to be confused.
 
Bruce

16 May 2011     



s.lefevre
Brazil

What about this sentece

 

If the Chinese hadn �t tried and tasted various kinds of wild plants, they wouldn �t have been able to cure deseases.

 

17 May 2011