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What is this construction 'had i had' mean and why not use 'if i had'? is it gramtically correct?
I know for a fact that had i had a father, i'd have some dicipline. i'd have. Tupac Shakur
Jun 2, 2020 5:36 AM
Answers · 2
4
Yes, it’s perfectly correct, and just a bit formal. The more modern phrase would be “if I had had”. The sentence is a mixed conditional: contrary to fact past in the if-clause, and unreal present in the then-clause. The phrase "I'd have" means "I would have" (with "have" as the main verb). I don't know why "I'd have" is repeated; that doesn't seem to make sense (is it part of the original quote?). Please note that the first person singular subject pronoun is always written “I”, never “i”. By the way, I’ve written an mini-article on the conditional:
https://www.italki.com/discussion/164505
June 2, 2020
Hello!
These forms are both past perfect conditional and both correct but "had I had a father" is more formal English.
I hope this helps!
June 2, 2020
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