If only had I known it! / If only I had known it!
Could you help me, please?
A question for the native speakers (desired) of British English or American English.
Which variant is correct and why? Or it's possible to use either of them)?
If only had I known it!
If only I had known it!
grammar usage syntactic-analysis sentence inversion
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
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add a comment |
Could you help me, please?
A question for the native speakers (desired) of British English or American English.
Which variant is correct and why? Or it's possible to use either of them)?
If only had I known it!
If only I had known it!
grammar usage syntactic-analysis sentence inversion
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
New contributor
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
The second one is correct; the first one isn't, because subject-auxiliary inversion (had I instead of I had) is not allowed here. It needs something specific in the context -- a fronted adverb, for instance -- in order to happen, and there's none here.
– John Lawler
yesterday
1
John, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
Could you help me, please?
A question for the native speakers (desired) of British English or American English.
Which variant is correct and why? Or it's possible to use either of them)?
If only had I known it!
If only I had known it!
grammar usage syntactic-analysis sentence inversion
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
New contributor
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Could you help me, please?
A question for the native speakers (desired) of British English or American English.
Which variant is correct and why? Or it's possible to use either of them)?
If only had I known it!
If only I had known it!
grammar usage syntactic-analysis sentence inversion
grammar usage syntactic-analysis sentence inversion
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
New contributor
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
New contributor
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited yesterday
Josh
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
New contributor
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
asked yesterday
JoshJosh
1
1
New contributor
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Josh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
The second one is correct; the first one isn't, because subject-auxiliary inversion (had I instead of I had) is not allowed here. It needs something specific in the context -- a fronted adverb, for instance -- in order to happen, and there's none here.
– John Lawler
yesterday
1
John, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
1
The second one is correct; the first one isn't, because subject-auxiliary inversion (had I instead of I had) is not allowed here. It needs something specific in the context -- a fronted adverb, for instance -- in order to happen, and there's none here.
– John Lawler
yesterday
1
John, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
1
1
The second one is correct; the first one isn't, because subject-auxiliary inversion (had I instead of I had) is not allowed here. It needs something specific in the context -- a fronted adverb, for instance -- in order to happen, and there's none here.
– John Lawler
yesterday
The second one is correct; the first one isn't, because subject-auxiliary inversion (had I instead of I had) is not allowed here. It needs something specific in the context -- a fronted adverb, for instance -- in order to happen, and there's none here.
– John Lawler
yesterday
1
1
John, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
John, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
1 Answer
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oldest
votes
In the US I most frequently hear "If only I had known"; when I was home in Britain I also heard a variant construction: "Had I but known" which I've almost never heard here in the US.
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
Gerald, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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votes
In the US I most frequently hear "If only I had known"; when I was home in Britain I also heard a variant construction: "Had I but known" which I've almost never heard here in the US.
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
Gerald, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
In the US I most frequently hear "If only I had known"; when I was home in Britain I also heard a variant construction: "Had I but known" which I've almost never heard here in the US.
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
Gerald, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
In the US I most frequently hear "If only I had known"; when I was home in Britain I also heard a variant construction: "Had I but known" which I've almost never heard here in the US.
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
In the US I most frequently hear "If only I had known"; when I was home in Britain I also heard a variant construction: "Had I but known" which I've almost never heard here in the US.
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
answered yesterday
GerardFallaGerardFalla
814111
814111
Gerald, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
Gerald, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
Gerald, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
Gerald, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday
add a comment |
Josh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Josh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Josh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Josh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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1
The second one is correct; the first one isn't, because subject-auxiliary inversion (had I instead of I had) is not allowed here. It needs something specific in the context -- a fronted adverb, for instance -- in order to happen, and there's none here.
– John Lawler
yesterday
1
John, thank you!
– Josh
yesterday