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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Grammar

"It seems as though he were were underpinning his justifications."
Why the use of the plural "were" for the single subject "he"?
  

Top answer

Anonymous It seems as though he were were underpinning his justifications. "Were" is subjunctive mood in this case. ) He acted as if he were underpinning his justifications.

  • Anonymous It seems as though he were were underpinning his justifications.
  • "Were" is subjunctive mood in this case.
  • ) He acted as if he were underpinning his justifications.
  • "Was" may be substituted for casual use.
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2 Answers
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AnonymousIt seems as though he were were underpinning his justifications.
"Were" is subjunctive mood in this case. (It seems now as if he were doing it then.)

He acted as if he were underpinning his justifications.

"Was" may be substituted for casual use.
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Anonymous"It seems as though he were were underpinning his justifications."Why the use of the plural "were" for the single subject "he"?
In more formal contexts, "were" substitutes for "was" after certain expressions like as though and as if.

CJ

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