Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

Hello everyone.

I�m interested in the use/meaning of the auxiliary verb �will� in sentence #1 below. A prestigious professor of English in Japan tries in his book to explain the difference of meaning between sentences #1 and #2.

1. If you can�t give me a better price, I�ll look elsewhere.
2. If you can�t give me a better price, I look elsewhere.

What I am sticking to is not the essential point in his argument, but he incidentally says that the �will� in sentence #1 means the speaker�s [= �my� ] assumption/prediction of his [= the speaker�s] �looking elsewhere.� It seems to me, however, that the �will� in sentence #1 means the speaker�s [= �my�] intention/determination of �looking elsewhere.� I understand the auxiliary verb �will� in the finite verb phrase following the first-person pronoun usually means the speaker�s intention/determination.

My question is:
Do you agree with the idea of the professor I mentioned above that the �will� in sentence #1 means the speaker�s assumption/predictability, not the speaker�s intention/determination?

Best regards,
fw

[lotus]

Hi fw,

It kinda depends on the buyer's attitude and how strongly he/she feels about the price.

Here's the way I see it.

"If you don�t give me a better price, I�ll look elsewhere."
In this case, it is almost a threat. The buyer is bent (determined) to look elsewhere if he doesn't get a better price.

"If you can�t give me a better price, I�ll look elsewhere."
In this case, the buyer is expressing his unhappiness with the price and is hinting at going elsewhere. However, depending on the tone with which he said it, he may be threatening to go elsewhere (in which case, his attitude would be the same as sentence #1).

So, it really depends on the buyer's mood and how he says it. These are tools of negotiations. Knowing the circumstances, context, atmosphere and mood of the buyer is very important in determining the "will" of the buyer.


--lotus

[fw]

Thanks for your reply, lotus.

[lotus]

Hi fw,

In the previous post, I was talking specifically about the professor's sentence #1 using "can't" and "don't" to illustrate the connotation of "will."

We can now discuss sentence #2.

I would not normally use #2. It sounds abrupt and truncated. It can be used, however, if the buyer was near the end of the negotiation, and was frustrated and ready to walk away.

If you can�t give me a better price, I look elsewhere.

connotation: If you can�t give me a better price, I walk!


You'll probably hear sentence #1 more often.


--lotus