"I'd appreciate (it) if you did." VS "I'd appreciate (it) if you would." (2024)

Two questions:

1. Which of these two sentences - I'd appreciate it if you did. or I'd appreciate it if you would.- would you use in the following situation/dialogue:

User: (Asking a moderator in a chat) What's the command to check my on-line time?
Moderator: There isn't any, but I can check in the server's API.
User: I'd appreciate it if you ___.
Moderator: 4 hrs
User: Thanks

2. Would any of you, native speakers, ever say it without the object pronoun (i.e. it).

I'd appreciate it if you did. "did" requires an object = I'd appreciate it if you did it.

In "User: I'd appreciate it if you would [do it]." As for "do it", if you were speaking, it would depend on your tone of voice as to whether you included it; in writing, you should include "do it."

PaulQ said:

I'd appreciate it if you did. "did" requires an object = I'd appreciate it if you did it.

In "User: I'd appreciate it if you would [do it]." As for "do it", if you were speaking, it would depend on your tone of voice as to whether you included it; in writing, you should include "do it."

Click to expand...

So you are saying that in this particular dialogue if you would do it and if you did it are interchangeable? BTW, it is spoken, because live chats emulate speaking rather than writing.

mutagenix said:

So you are saying that in this particular dialogue if you would do it and if you did it are interchangeable?

Click to expand...

"would do it" is more tentative.

BTW, it is spoken, because live chats emulate speaking rather than writing.

Click to expand...

No - that is wrong. The point of speech is that you can introduce tone and emphasis to add context to the content - in writing, this is not so easy and often fails.

PaulQ said:

"would do it" is more tentative.No - that is wrong. The point of speech is that you can introduce tone and emphasis to add context to the content - in writing, this is not so easy and often fails.

Click to expand...

So, why, in most cases, does live chat discourse resemble spoken register and not its written counterpart?

se16teddy said:

1. I'd appreciate it if you did. = I'd appreciate it if you checked.
2. I'd appreciate if you did. though perhaps not quite so idiomatic in BE as 1
3. I'd appreciate it if you did that. = I'd appreciate it if you checked.
4. I'd appreciate it if you did it. I think that is better than it here.
5. I'd appreciate it if you would. = I'd appreciate it if you agreed or consented to do that, and in fact did it.
6. I'd appreciate if you would. though perhaps not quite so idiomatic in BE as 5
7. I'd appreciate it if you would do that. = I'd appreciate it if you agreed or consented to check and did in fact check.
8. I'd appreciate if you would do it. I think that is better than it here.

Click to expand...

Much obliged.

mutagenix said:

So, why, in most cases, does live chat discourse resemble spoken register and not its written counterpart?

Click to expand...

The important verb is "resemble" A cat "resembles" a small dog.

You are confusing "very informal writing" with "speech" - as mediums of communication, they are very different. This is also true in Korean and any other language.

I have already explained

PaulQ said:

The point of speech is that you can introduce tone and emphasis to add context to the content - in writing, this is not so easy and often fails.

Click to expand...

PaulQ said:

The important verb is "resemble" A cat "resembles" a small dog.

You are confusing "very informal writing" with "speech" - as mediums of communication, they are very different. This is also true in Korean and any other language.

I have already explained The point of speech is that you can introduce tone and emphasis to add context to the content - in writing, this is not so easy and often fails.

Click to expand...

Yes, you CAN, which means that you DON'T HAVE TO. At least that's what the word "can" implies here, which would actually mean that you are contradicting yourself; notwithstanding the validity of the statement itself.

< Off-topic comments removed. Cagey, moderator >