ORLAPUBS P. L53: CONDITIONALS IN ENGLISH

The surrealis context is a hypothesis, temporal, or relative subordi- nate clause depending on a posterior predicate--including an infinitive. Also included are whatever/whoever (noun) clauses. Most hypothesis clauses are surrealis when posteriors; but see Note 2. Hypothesis clauses begin with "if, unless, lest, in case [that], on condition that, assuming that."; not all equivalent conjunctions can introduce hypothesis clauses other than those of the surrealis type. Temporal clauses begin with when, before, after, till/until, since, once, as soon as." (On the assumption [or: premise] that does not introduce a hypothesis that constitutes a surrealis hypotheses; it introduces the expectative type of posterior hypothesis discussed in the box attached below.) Concessive clauses--they begin with although--can be surrealis when not factual; the factual kind often begin with even though. Causal clauses (beginning with because, since, seeing that, etc.) are never surrealis since they are never irrealis. (Surrealis is an overmarked subcategory of irrealis expressions; see irrrealis and surrealis in the index to Bailey, Essays on time-based linguistic analysis [Oxford University Press], 1996). context is a hypothesis, temporal, or relative subordi- nate clause depending on a posterior predicate--including an infinitive. Also included are whatever/whoever (noun) clauses. Most hypothesis clauses are surrealis when posteriors; but see Note 2. Hypothesis clauses begin with "if, unless, lest, in case [that], on condition that, assuming that."; not all equivalent conjunctions can introduce hypothesis clauses other than those of the surrealis type. Temporal clauses begin with when, before, after, till/until, since, once, as soon as." (On the assumption [or: premise] that does not introduce a hypothesis that constitutes a surrealis hypotheses; it introduces the expectative type of posterior hypothesis discussed in the box attached below.) Concessive clauses--they begin with although--can be surrealis when not factual; the factual kind often begin with even though. Causal clauses (beginning with because, since, seeing that, etc.) are never surrealis since they are never irrealis. (Surrealis is an overmarked subcategory of irrealis expressions; see irrrealis and surrealis in the index to Bailey, Essays on time-based linguistic analysis [Oxford University Press], 1996). [or: premise] that does not introduce a hypothesis that constitutes a surrealis hypotheses; it introduces the expectative type of posterior hypothesis discussed in the box attached below.) Concessive clauses--they begin with although--can be surrealis when not factual; the factual kind often begin with even though. Causal clauses (beginning with because, since, seeing that, etc.) are never surrealis since they are never irrealis. (Surrealis is an overmarked subcategory of irrealis expressions; see irrrealis and surrealis in the index to Bailey, Essays on time-based linguistic analysis [Oxford University Press], 1996). context is a hypothesis, temporal, or relative subordi- nate clause depending on a posterior predicate--including an infinitive. Also included are whatever/whoever (noun) clauses. Most hypothesis clauses are surrealis when posteriors; but see Note 2. Hypothesis clauses begin with "if, unless, lest, in case [that], on condition that, assuming that."; not all equivalent conjunctions can introduce hypothesis clauses other than those of the surrealis type. Temporal clauses begin with when, before, after, till/until, since, once, as soon as." (On the assumption [or: premise] that es not introduce a hypothesis that constitutes a surrealis hypotheses; it introduces the expectative type of posterior hypothesis discussed in the box attached below.) Concessive clauses--they begin with although--can be surrealis when not factual; the factual kind often begin with even though. Causal clauses (beginning with because, since, seeing that, etc.) are never surrealis since they are never irrealis. (Surrealis is an overmarked subcategory of irrealis expressions; see irrrealis and surrealis in the index to Bailey, Essays on time-based linguistic analysis [Oxford University Press], 1996). The surrealis environment can be created by "make/be sure," expressions of hope, and of course an infinitive in the main clause.

     Hypothesis clauses in (present-, past-, or posterior-posterior contexts other than the neutral ones just described) are not surrealis. There are two kinds if realis hypotheses--one that is neutral, and one that is expectative (if posterior; otherwise factual). Counterexpectative (if posterior: dubitative) hypotheses are simply irrealis:
   Irrealis:        "If he did that tomorrow, . . ."
                         "If she should do that tomorrow, . . ".
                         "If they were to do that tomorrow . . ."
   Expectative: "If she'll do it, . . ."
                          "If it's gonna be okay with them, . . ."
Note that hypothesis clauses (of any variety of reality) beginning with If can omit If if the verb is had, should, could, or a simple past. When If is omitted, the auxiliary verb begins the clause:
    "Had they been there, . . ."       "Could she be present tomorrow, . . ."
    "Should he arrive on time . . ." "Did he but realize it, . . ."
Note that did is used even where a past is formed without did; the full form of the last example would have been "If he but knew that, . . . Of the four examples just given, only the ones beginning would should and could are posteriors and irrealis. Had begins a past conterfactual (irrealis) hypothesis; did begins a present counterfactual (also irrealis). (Since the future has not taken place, there are no counterfactual or factual posterior hypotheses.) But while could = "was/were able" in negative and interrogative sentences, the following non-posteriors are possible as counterfactual hypotheses whether negated/interrogative or not:
Present: "Could she (not) hear that, it would be better."
Past: "Could she (not) have moved her arm at that moment, . . ."

HYPOTHESIS CLAUSES FOR A STATE OR EVENT PRIOR TO THE CONTINGENCY CLAUSE
Category	Wrong	Right
Counterfactural	If she was busy yesterday, If he would've been busy yesterday,	*If s/he had been* busy yesterday,**
Neutral or	*If the cat were* alseep yesterday,**	If the cat was asleep yesterday.
Exochronous (also neutral posterior)	If we recredited it, (at any time, by next week)	If we have recredited it, (at any time, by next week)

Counterfactual Past	*If she was* busy yesterday,**	If s/he had been busy yesterday, If the cat were asleep now,
Consider the double past-anterior (which has parallels in French and German): If I'da (hadda, had've) been there, . . . Many educated speakers use this form. Note how "If I'b been" has "'d" assimilated to "b" by a normal English sound rule; in faster tempos, the two "bb"s coalesece and we hear "If I been"--where "'d" ("had") gets entirely lost. The doubled form prevents this. Since "If I had have" (used by one British playwright) sounds strange, it is easy for "If I'd've been" to be misinterpreted as "If I would've been"--though there are other rea- sons for using this last form. Note that 'd stands for had, would, and-- after a wh-word (what, who, how, when, where, why, etc.) as well as so-did. (This is an environment in which 's can stand for does.
Counterfactual Present and Neutral Past	*If the cat were* alseep yesterday,**	*If the cat was* asleep yesterday,**
Neutral Past & Exochronous or Posterior	If we recredited it, (at any time, by next week)--wrong for a counterfactual past	If we have recredited it, (at any time, by next week)