0
Hannah89 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
ABOUT subjunctive mood
e.g.) If it were not for my poverty, i could buy a house
= A) but for my poverty, i could buy a house
= B) If it had not been for my poverty, i could buy a house
Are these sentences correct? If they are not, please help me understand
Which one is the most common expression?
= A) but for my poverty, i could buy a house
= B) If it had not been for my poverty, i could buy a house
Are these sentences correct? If they are not, please help me understand
Which one is the most common expression?
Top answer
Hannah, Your sentences don't seem to work quite right in subjunctive. What you said about your poverty suggests that you are in fact poor. In subjunctive mood, "were" only applies to unrealistic or non-factual contexts.
- Hannah, Your sentences don't seem to work quite right in subjunctive.
- What you said about your poverty suggests that you are in fact poor.
- In subjunctive mood, "were" only applies to unrealistic or non-factual contexts.
- So your examples do work.
- But, from another angle, you can say: " If I were a millionaire, I would buy an island in the Caribbean" " If I were the president of this company, I would fire everyone abusing the use of computer".
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
Hannah,
Your sentences don't seem to work quite right in subjunctive.
What you said about your poverty suggests that you are in fact poor.
In subjunctive mood, "were" only applies to unrealistic or non-factual contexts. So your examples do work. But, from another angle, you can say:
" If I were a millionaire, I would buy an island in the
Your sentences don't seem to work quite right in subjunctive.
What you said about your poverty suggests that you are in fact poor.
In subjunctive mood, "were" only applies to unrealistic or non-factual contexts. So your examples do work. But, from another angle, you can say:
" If I were a millionaire, I would buy an island in the
00
1. If it were not for my poverty, I could buy a house.
2. But for my poverty, I could buy a house.
3. If it had not been for my poverty, I co
2. But for my poverty, I could buy a house.
3. If it had not been for my poverty, I co
0
Related Questions