If that were true ... error or not?
I cudgelled my brains to find some possible explanation. And then the incident of the gray cloth seen by young McCarthy. If that were true the murderer must have dropped some part of his dress, presumably his overcoat, in his flight, and must have had the hardihood to return and to carry it away at the instant when the son was kneeling with his back turned not a dozen paces off.
The Boscombe Valley Mystery, short story
Hi. The context is that Holmes and Watson were going to investigate a murder case. Before the investigation, they had read a young man’s account of the matter; the young man, young McCarthy, was suspected of murder his father, the victim in this case. And the excerpt is part of Watson’s thinking about the murder case based on the young man’s account.
The young man claimed that he had seen a gray coat lying on the ground at the scene of the crime. But it was not confirmed by either Holmes or Watson. So why did Watson use “were” here? Shouldn’t he say “was”? The truth was unknown by the time Watson said the sentences.
Is it an error or do I misunderstand something?
Thank you in advance.
PS: I have previously asked about it elsewhere and I have got opposite opinions. Some native speakers think it is an error and “was” should be used, while some other native speakers think the original use of “were” is correct. This makes me confused.
Top answer
zuotengdazuo But it was not confirmed by either Holmes or Watson. So why did Watson use “were” here? In an if-clause, "were" is used instead of "was" precisely when a putative fact has not been confirmed; consequently, "were" seems to me to be the preferred form.
- zuotengdazuo But it was not confirmed by either Holmes or Watson.
- So why did Watson use “were” here?
- In an if-clause, "were" is used instead of "was" precisely when a putative fact has not been confirmed; consequently, "were" seems to me to be the preferred form.
- ) Historically, Americans have hung on to the "were" form more than the British, so to my American ears the nineteenth-century British "were" sounds fine.
- CJ
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zuotengdazuoBut it was not confirmed by either Holmes or Watson. So why did Watson use “were” here?
In an if-clause, "were" is used instead of "was" precisely when a putative fact has not been confirmed; consequently, "were" seems to me to be the preferred form. (It surprises me that you think that unconfirmed facts should be expressed with "was".)
H
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