Choice of tenses in the subjunctive mood
I've become confused about tenses when writing in the subjunctive mood. Are both of the following sentences acceptable, or can I only use the first one that uses the past tense? The second sounds slightly odd to me, but I don't know if it's incorrect.
"If I were made captain, I would make sure all the people I led were happy."
"If I were made captain, I would make sure all the people I lead are happy."
Similarly:
"If I were accepted for the role, I would make sure everything I wrote was valuable to the audience."
"If I were accepted for the role, I would make sure everything I write is valuable to the audience."
Top answer
JJDouglas Are both of the following sentences acceptable, or can I only use the first one that uses the past tense? To my ear, only the first in each pair is acceptable. That doesn't mean you'll never see the second anywhere.
- JJDouglas Are both of the following sentences acceptable, or can I only use the first one that uses the past tense?
- To my ear, only the first in each pair is acceptable.
- That doesn't mean you'll never see the second anywhere.
- People are not always careful in these cases.
- CJ
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JJDouglasAre both of the following sentences acceptable, or can I only use the first one that uses the past tense?
To my ear, only the first in each pair is acceptable. That doesn't mean you'll never see the second anywhere. People are not always careful in these cases.
CJ
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