0
Anonymous Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
as if +had past participle
I know that I can use the past tense for the unreal idea like the next sentence.
He talks as if he knew everything.
But what if it's about the past unreal idea?
Can I use had like the second sentence?
They looked as if they were made a hundred years ago.
They looked as if they had been made a hundred years ago.
Please answer the question. And thanks in advance.
Everything works out for the best!
He talks as if he knew everything.
But what if it's about the past unreal idea?
Can I use had like the second sentence?
They looked as if they were made a hundred years ago.
They looked as if they had been made a hundred years ago.
Please answer the question. And thanks in advance.
Everything works out for the best!
Top answer
They both look okay to me.
- They both look okay to me.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
42 Answers
0
0
Thank you for the answer.
One more question,
then,
They looked like they had been made a hundred years ago. is ok,too?
One more question,
then,
They looked like they had been made a hundred years ago. is ok,too?
00
AnonymousThey looked like they had been made a hundred years ago is AmE.
Thank you for the answer.
One more question,
then,
They looked like they had been made a hundred years ago. is ok,too?
00
For many readers, these are not identical:
1) They looked as if they were made a hundred years ago.
2) They looked as if they had been made a hundred years ago.
2) means that the making precedes (as does in a past perfect) the
1) They looked as if they were made a hundred years ago.
2) They looked as if they had been made a hundred years ago.
2) means that the making precedes (as does in a past perfect) the
00
Can I use had like the second sentence?Yes, you can. In fact, it seems the more appropriate of the two, since you are talking about an imagined hundred years ago, and you certainly don't mean that they looked that way then, but that they looked that way much more recently. The other choice is not wrong, however, because
00
Can I ask one more question?
I'm still confused.
Then, in the next sentences, are there any differences in meaning? or are they all grammatically correct?
He looks at me as if I were crazy.
He looked at me as if
I'm still confused.
Then, in the next sentences, are there any differences in meaning? or are they all grammatically correct?
He looks at me as if I were crazy.
He looked at me as if
00
(Footnote: both are used in BrE.)
They looked like they had been made a hundred years ago is AmE.
They looked as though they had been made a hundred years ago is BrE.
MrP
00
MrPedanticAccording to 'Basic Eng(Footnote: both are used in BrE.)
They looked like they had been made a hundred years ago is AmE.
They looked as though they had been made a hundred years ago is BrE.
MrP
00
IMO:
He looks at me as if I were crazy. OK, in present time.
He looked at me as if I were crazy. OK, in past time.
He looks at me as if I were crazy. OK, in present time.
He looked at me as if I were crazy. OK, in past time.
00
Related Questions