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In this structure, “were” is used in cases where you are entertaining a hypothetical, and “was” is for something that was true. English grammar is often confus
by munchbunny 2y ago
In this structure, “were” is used in cases where you are entertaining a hypothetical, and “was” is for something that was true.
English grammar is often confusing in cases like this because verbs mostly don’t have distinct spellings/pronunciations for the subjunctive mood, even though the subjunctive conjugations are part of the grammar.
It also doesn’t help that “subjunctive” is kind of the “else” condition among the three verb moods, the other two being “indicative” and “imperative,” so you often notice that it’s the subjunctive by ruling out the other two.
- ninalanyon 2y agoThe subjunctive is almost dead in colloquial British English.
- gausswho 2y agoAs a native US english speaker, this was fascinating to read and uncover my unknown learnings. You are not incorrect, but I would make a big caveat: 'as if it were' or 'as if it was' can, depending on context, sound foreign, in a transliterated way. Many native speakers, I think, expect some other phrasing to express the same meaning. Often through helpful ambiguators like 'like'.