User:JavaRogers/Moods

Appropriate Zero Conditional Moods
When in a snowy biome or high enough elevations, rain is replaced with snow. Is this truely zero conditional, or is it indicative? Is there enough of a difference when the writer uses the word when?

Those of the form "When [present-tense verb phrase], [future-tense verb phrase]."
When a trapdoor is right-clicked, it will open.&mdash;As User:Auldrick put it regarding a similar sentence, "The abstract mode here signifies that the statement as written is an incomplete truth, that there are additional conditions that are relevant but unstated." Here the trapdoor material isn't mentioned. Although a wooden trapdoor might be the first thing that comes to mind, an iron trapdoor never opens when right-clicked.

Placing a carved pumpkin atop 4 iron blocks in a T shape will spawn an iron golem.&mdash;The implied if-then form of this sentence might be If a carved pumpkin is placed atop... then an iron golem will spawn. Either form is written, again, as an incomplete truth. It's not specified whether the head's being placed atop the 'body' block or an 'arm' block, and sometimes grass or flowers can get in the way of spawning. If we account for all conditions, our conditional clause might look like "If a player places a carved pumpkin on the top-centre face of 4 iron blocks in a T shape, with nothing but air blocks in the four corners, then an iron golem spawns." Great. Ok... No longer is this a sentence that would belong in the first section of an article.

Those of the form "When [past-tense verb phrase], [future-tense verb phrase]."
If you ate a croissant this morning, you'll regret it in a few hours.

Screwballing:

 * These are attempts to fit into the above section. I'm trying to tell a story from the past where my great-granddaddy was, at that point, actively considering taking an opportunity, the result of which turned out to keep his family in the area to this day. The result is the future from the past's perspective, but it's the past for the present's perspective.

''I tell ya, if my great-granddaddy didn't take that opportunity, we wouldn't be here today.' This is a counter-factual statement in the second conditional mood, describing potentially different past events.

That was when my great-granddaddy thought if he didn't take that opportunity, his descendants wouldn't stay in the area. This comes off telling that great-granddaddy had, by that point, previously taken some opportunity that ends up kept his family in the area to this day, and if he hadn't done that then they wouldn't be here in the present. Also a counter-factual statement in the second conditional mood.

My great-granddaddy thought if he doesn't take that opportunity, his future kin aren't going to stay in the area. I.. I think this is okay.