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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

If I were to - can/could and is/was

If I were to write an essay about life, can I say "Life is beautiful,"?
If I were to write an essay about life, is it grammatically correct to say "Life is beautiful,"?

1. I believe the sentence above with "were to" is subjunctive or hypothetical. Is it OK to use 'can' and 'is' above?
2. Or do you think it should have read 'could' and 'was' respectively?
3. Please improve the main clause, if necessary. Thanks.
4. Incidentally, is it correct to say 'should have read' in my question #2? Or should I say "should read"? What is the difference?
  

Top answer

If I were to write an essay about life, could I say, "Life is beautiful" ? If I were to write an essay about life, would it be grammatically correct to say, "Life is beautiful" ? Your "should have read" is good.

— Englishmaven

  • If I were to write an essay about life, could I say, "Life is beautiful" ?
  • If I were to write an essay about life, would it be grammatically correct to say, "Life is beautiful" ?
  • Your "should have read" is good.
  • "Was" is not right because you are really projecting into the future.
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9 Answers
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If I were to write an essay about life, could I say, "Life is beautiful" ?
If I were to write an essay about life, would it be grammatically correct to say, "Life is beautiful" ?

Your "should have read" is good. "Was" is not right because you are really projecting into the future.
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Thank you very much for helping me. You've answered all my questions.

Would you say, then, that the combination "were to" in the if-clause and "can or is" in the main clause is never possible and grammatical?
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AnonymousWould you say, then, that the combination "were to" in the if-clause and "can or is" in the main clause is never possible and grammatical?
Never say "never", but it's not very likely that "were to" would be correctly combined with "is" or "can" in the main clause.

CJ
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Thanks very much, CJ, for your input on this.
CalifJimNever say "never", but it's not very likely that "were to" would be correctly combined with "is" or "can" in the main clause.
If it's not very likely, then does it mean that there is a possibility for these combinations?
Could you please give examples if it's indeed possible?
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AnonymousIf it's not very likely, then does it mean that there is a possibility for these combinations?
Could you please give examples if it's indeed possible?
How about these?
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Thank you so much for your response.
CalifJimThey are "possible". That is, everyone will understand what you mean, and only those people who are most attentive to the details of grammar will even notice any mistakes.
I'm sorry, but do you mean they are possible, but not really grammatical?

If so, I think I should just stick with the "were to" a
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Hi,

Could you comment on this, please? Thanks.
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Anonymousdo you mean they are possible, but not really grammatical?
Yes.
AnonymousI think I should just stick with the "were to" and "could/would/was" combinations
Yes. Stick to the advice that Englishmaven gave.
Anonymousdoes using the present tense in the main clause with "were to" in the if-c
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Thank you very much for that clarification. This makes perfect sense to me now. Emotion: smile
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