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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Conditional: unreal for this correct?
Hi. Are these correct?
He acts as if/as though he has a lot of money.
He acts as if/as though he had a lot of money.
I think typical number 2 conditionals for the above sentences would be something like these.
He would/could/might act as if/as though he had a lot of money.
In a similar vein, I think this is correct.
He would/could/might act as if/as though he were rich.
But are these correct?
He acts as if he is rich.
He acts as if he were rich.
I think my difficulty lies with the fact that when I see a hypothetical nature being played out in a sentence that is in the present (thus the main tense is in the present tense) I tend to (rightly so or not rightly so) think the verb in the clause that follows the phrases like "as if" and "as though" as requiring the past tense. (I am not sure I said correctly what I wanted to say). Is that a correct/right to think under that kind of situation? Help.
He acts as if/as though he has a lot of money.
He acts as if/as though he had a lot of money.
I think typical number 2 conditionals for the above sentences would be something like these.
He would/could/might act as if/as though he had a lot of money.
In a similar vein, I think this is correct.
He would/could/might act as if/as though he were rich.
But are these correct?
He acts as if he is rich.
He acts as if he were rich.
I think my difficulty lies with the fact that when I see a hypothetical nature being played out in a sentence that is in the present (thus the main tense is in the present tense) I tend to (rightly so or not rightly so) think the verb in the clause that follows the phrases like "as if" and "as though" as requiring the past tense. (I am not sure I said correctly what I wanted to say). Is that a correct/right to think under that kind of situation? Help.
Top answer
Dear friend, normally, the subjunctive were follows as if/as though : He spoke as if she were dead. However, the ordinary present tense is required where the emphasis is on truth rather than falsity : It's not as if he' s dishonest (= he is honest). It looks as though we' re landing (ie fasten your seatbelts).
- Dear friend, normally, the subjunctive were follows as if/as though : He spoke as if she were dead.
- However, the ordinary present tense is required where the emphasis is on truth rather than falsity : It's not as if he' s dishonest (= he is honest).
- It looks as though we' re landing (ie fasten your seatbelts).
- Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoff
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10 Answers
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Dear friend,
normally, the subjunctive were follows as if/as though:
He spoke as if she were dead.
However, the ordinary present tense is required where the emphasis is on truth rather than falsity:
It's not as if he's dishonest (= he is honest).
It looks as though we're landing (ie fasten your seatbel
normally, the subjunctive were follows as if/as though:
He spoke as if she were dead.
However, the ordinary present tense is required where the emphasis is on truth rather than falsity:
It's not as if he's dishonest (= he is honest).
It looks as though we're landing (ie fasten your seatbel
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Hello, Mr Micawber,
many thanks for highly appreciating my humble efforts. Such an opinion is very important to me.
Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoff
many thanks for highly appreciating my humble efforts. Such an opinion is very important to me.
Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoff
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Gleb: Welcome back. I have been waiting to ask you a question. A poster recently wrote: The parties acknowledge that they NEITHER intend to enter, NOR have they entered into a secret agreement. I need your expertise: is that a correct use of neither/nor? Thanks a million!
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Dear friend,
I suppose that I have only recently embarked on the march towards reaching the level of an expert whose opinion could be taken for 'expertise'. However, being guided by the knowledge gained from a number of authoritative sources, I would like to comment as follows:
1. The original poster presumably asked about the possible ellipsis of subject in the second coordin
I suppose that I have only recently embarked on the march towards reaching the level of an expert whose opinion could be taken for 'expertise'. However, being guided by the knowledge gained from a number of authoritative sources, I would like to comment as follows:
1. The original poster presumably asked about the possible ellipsis of subject in the second coordin
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Thank you, Gleb, for your great answer. I shall study it very carefully.
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(continued)
2. You have rightfully broadened the scope of the discussion by questioning the very reasonability of using these correlative coordinators. Indeed, as E. S. C. Weiner once pointed out, a sentence containing correlative coordinators (neither... nor, in our case) must be so structured that the part of the sentence introduced by the first member of the pair (nei
2. You have rightfully broadened the scope of the discussion by questioning the very reasonability of using these correlative coordinators. Indeed, as E. S. C. Weiner once pointed out, a sentence containing correlative coordinators (neither... nor, in our case) must be so structured that the part of the sentence introduced by the first member of the pair (nei
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Wow! That was what worried me, the parallel issue. Your answer was great and gave me more self-confidence about my understanding of grammar. I am so happy to have an authority back me up with the not/nor construction. All I can say is thank you.
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4. Finally, is there any possibility of using neither... nor in the original sentence? The answer is 'yes' for some reasons. The first one is language change, whereby structures shift in meaning over a certain time period, allowing for more liberal or extended interpretation. The second factor in favour of neither... nor is the formality that the pair adds to the utterance, which is
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Considering the time and effort you put into answering this humble soul, all I can do is quote the Bard: I can no other answer make but thanks, And thanks, and ever thanks.
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