English q

[arkiv]

 0:)

Which is the most accurate:


I must admit it would have been worth it if I had been able to talk to you in the end

I must admit it would have been worth it if I had finally been able to talk to you

I must admit it might have been worth the effort to me if I had finally been able to talk with you

[DavidRoss]

Depends on what you're trying to say

[Jay F]

0:)

Which is the most accurate:


I must admit it would have been worth it if I had been able to talk to you in the end

I must admit it would have been worth it if I had finally been able to talk to you

I must admit it might have been worth the effort to me if I had finally been able to talk with you

It's not clear from reading the three sentences. The first sounds better than the other two, but there's a difference in meaning between "would" and "might."

Also, you don't need "I must admit" in any of the sentences.

[arkiv]

The first sounds better than the other two, but there's a difference in meaning between "would" and "might."

Thanks.

Do you use got or gotten?
Which one is more popular?

[knight66]

I will step into this minefield.

I may be wrong, but I think the word 'gotten' is usually preceded by the word 'have'. So, it follows that I believe your alternatives are 'have gotten' or 'got'. I don't like the 'have gotten' alternative, which is only used in portions of the USA and is pejorative.

If you give me a couple of sentences with the alternatives, I will confirm which I think is OK.

Mike

[Harpo]

I may be wrong, but I think the word 'gotten' is usually preceded by the word 'have'. So, it follows that I believe your alternatives are 'have gotten' or 'got'. I don't like the 'have gotten' alternative, which is only used in portions of the USA and is pejorative.

Why pejorative?  You're watching a DVD and it's boring: "I have gotten tired of this movie."  We don't say "I have got tired" in the US.

[knight66]

That is why I was cagey here. But in the UK the term 'gotten' is not in use. From our POV it is certainly pejorative, indeed slang. But you view it differently.

If we got tired of the movie; that is what we would say, I got tired of the movie.

What does the 'en' add? Also I seem to be right, in that you need to add in 'have'.

I am not clear what kind of English epicous wants to write, he may want it to be colloquial. That was why I asked for his own examples.

Mike

[knight66]

Here is something from a dictionary that may help with ussage:

"In British English got is the regular past participle of get, and gotten survives only in a few set phrases, such as ill-gotten gains. In American English gotten, although occasionally criticized, is an alternative standard past participle in most senses, especially in the senses "to receive" or "to acquire": I have gotten (or got) all that I ever hoped for."

[Dr. Dread]

I got you, babe.

[knight66]

Oddly enough Dave, in the Urban Dictionary, 'gotten' appears in conjunction with 'hoe'!

Mike

[Dr. Dread]

Oddly enough Dave, in the Urban Dictionary, 'gotten' appears in conjunction with 'hoe'!

Mike

Hm. Odd.

[knight66]

I thought so too...which was why I left that one out of it.

Mike

[Elgarian]

0:)

Which is the most accurate:


I must admit it would have been worth it if I had been able to talk to you in the end

I must admit it would have been worth it if I had finally been able to talk to you

I must admit it might have been worth the effort to me if I had finally been able to talk with you

Context is everything. If this were a letter, or a conversation in a story, I'd eject all the flummery, and write this:

I wish I'd been able to talk to you.

[Ten thumbs]

I was taught a simple rule: never use the word 'got' if it can be avoided. In the case quoted:'
'I got tired of the movie' becomes 'I tired of the movie'
Meaning unchanged, extra typing saved.
Simple, isn't it? Well, not always.

[karlhenning]

I was taught a simple rule: never use the word 'got' if it can be avoided. In the case quoted:'
'I got tired of the movie' becomes 'I tired of the movie'
Meaning unchanged, extra typing saved.
Simple, isn't it? Well, not always.

Good rule.  I mean, refusal to use got in any such case strikes me as potentially fussy;  however, the rule encourages better mental flexibility with the language.

I grew tired of the movie.

[matti]

Mike, would you rather say:
"He had got out of prison three years before the fatal accident happened."

instead of "gotten"?

[DavidW]

Context is everything. If this were a letter, or a conversation in a story, I'd eject all the flummery, and write this:

I wish I'd been able to talk to you.

+1

[knight66]

Mike, would you rather say:
"He had got out of prison three years before the fatal accident happened."

instead of "gotten"?

Yes, I don't know any one here who uses the word 'gotten'. A lot of Americanisms have taken root, but not that one.

Mike

[DavidW]

Yes, I don't know any one here who uses the word 'gotten'. A lot of Americanisms have taken root, but not that one.

Mike

I wouldn't say that's an Americanism, we Americans would instead say: "He had been out of prison for three years since the fatal accident happened."

[Iconito]

Context is everything.

Your point above about context doesn't seem to make any difference, to me.

Not that I mean to make a big deal (not even a small deal, actually) out of this, but it caught my attention (you may say I quoted you out of context  )

Yes, I don't know any one here who uses the word 'gotten'. A lot of Americanisms have taken root, but not that one.

Mike

I understand “gotten” is archaic in Britain? i.e. “Once upon a time” they said “gotten” there?