Username
Layman
Member Since
August 23, 2012
Total number of comments
4
Total number of votes received
1
Bio
Latest Comments
“If I was” vs. “If I were”
- August 24, 2012, 1:58am
Right. If anyone has the time? Two respected ESL grammar sites. Correct or incorrect? Opinions would be appreciated.
Grammar Girl - subjunctive
English Club - subjunctive
And, is there a difference between the usage of the subjunctive in American & British English?
Hard to understand how so many people can give so many different answers. There must be a right and wrong. Surely. After all, it's grammar.
“If I was” vs. “If I were”
- August 23, 2012, 9:42am
Cheers Brus. What an amazing and quick answer. This is a cool forum; I could really get into this. Gonna take a while digesting all of that with my cuppa and maybe I'll check in again soon. Thanks for the rapid response. Much appreciated. Determined to get my head around it all.
P.s. Why am I being told to choose another name because my name is already being used by someone else? Hi-jacked after my first post! Lol.
“If I was” vs. “If I were”
- August 23, 2012, 6:59am
Please could someone kindly explain the differences between these sentences, or if any of them are just plain wrong:
1. If I was rude, I apologize.
2. If I were rude, I apologize.
3. If I was rude, I would apologize.
4. If I were rude, I would apologize.
5. If I I was rude, I would have apologized.
6. If I were rude, I would have apologized.
7. If I had been rude, I would have apologized.
Does 'was' refer to the past, and 'were' to a hypothetical situation?
Many thanks to anyone who can help. Really like this forum but having a few problems getting my head around it all. The subjunctive is perplexing though I have to admit, as much as I enjoy it, I'm no grammar head.
P.s. Hairy wrote previously:
I can't believe that no one has mentioned the fact that the subjunctive is only a mood. It is a matter of whether one would like to sound sophisticated or not. If you want to sound classy, you say "if I were", but if you want to sound artless, you say "if I was". It's as simple as that! It's like choosing between the words "career" and "vocation".
Is that true?
“If I was” vs. “If I were”
Thanks, Warsaw Will. Jolly kind of yourself and Brus to take time to answer my questions. This is a really interesting topic though I'll admit to finding it slightly tricky to get the head around; however, persistence usually pays off in the end. Much obliged, people.