"mac davis" wrote:in message
...
On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:50:30 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"

wrote:


"mac davis" wrote: (clip) I'm just saying that IF the tools were
marked/offered for too low a price, I'd
ask if they were sure, (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mac, I understand now. Let's jump from woodturning and ethics to what may
seem like a trivial grammatical point.
If you had said, "If the tools *had been* marked/offered at too low a
price," I would have had no quarrel at all with your response. I agree with
that version exactly. By the wording you used, I got the implication that
the tools might have been MARKED at those low prices.

I am a curmudgeon, who hates to see the subjunctive mood fading from the
language, and this is a case where it did make a difference. Usually, I
admit, it DON'T.

I shop at flea markets regularly, and I have sometimes offered more than the
asking price for things, when they were REALLY worth it. The result is
that, over time, these vendors have come to know me, and I get bargains.

IOW, ethical practice is a good gimick G.