Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sejpdw]

"Not everyone has the same talents, gifts, or abilities. Each of us is created in a unique way. Our personalities are as diverse as the universe itself. Yet we can, by using what we have to the fullest, stand out from the crowd. Thomas Edison was almost deaf, yet he didn't spend his time attempting to learn how to hear. Instead he focused on his ability to think, organize and create. His accomplishments speak well for his decision to build on the qualities he possessed. "If we did all the things we were capable of doing," said Edision, "we would greatly surprise ourselves."

I think in the last sentence, "did" and "would surprise" was used because of subjunctive. How about "were capable"? I think "are capable" is a proper expression in this sentence because it refers to the fact.

[patsteck]

I believe that the author is matching up the verb tense in the sentence "if we did all of the things that we were capable of". I suppose we might be capable of doing the same things now that we did before, but for some reason English teachers like tenses to remain the same in a clause or sentence. The second part of the sentence switches tense to " would surprise" to get us to look to the future, how it would be different if we changed our behavior. [/b]