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Tenjing Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Is my understanding correct about as if
A. He talks as if he knew everything. (He doesn't know everything)
B. She continued talking as if nothing had happened. (Something happened)
C. He ran as if he were running for his life. Here what is the real thing?
D. It sounds as if they had a good time on vacation. Does it mean they don't have a good time on vacation?
Here the problem is to figure out which one is imaginary and which one is real and how to know. Please explain. I am really confused.
B. She continued talking as if nothing had happened. (Something happened)
C. He ran as if he were running for his life. Here what is the real thing?
D. It sounds as if they had a good time on vacation. Does it mean they don't have a good time on vacation?
Here the problem is to figure out which one is imaginary and which one is real and how to know. Please explain. I am really confused.
Top answer
The thing following "as if" is always an "imagined" thing, in some sense. It may be something contrary to fact, or it may be something used as a comparison (in order to say that one thing is like another). A and B are understood to mean that the thing following "as if" is contrary to fact.
- The thing following "as if" is always an "imagined" thing, in some sense.
- It may be something contrary to fact, or it may be something used as a comparison (in order to say that one thing is like another).
- A and B are understood to mean that the thing following "as if" is contrary to fact.
- ) In C, he is not literally running for his life, but he is behaving is if he was.
- ", strictly speaking, and logically, the thing following "as if" is imagined, and is being used as a comparison.
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2 Answers
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The thing following "as if" is always an "imagined" thing, in some sense. It may be something contrary to fact, or it may be something used as a comparison (in order to say that one thing is like another).
A and B are understood to mean that the thing following "as if" is contrary to fact. (If "nothing had happened" isn't true, then something happened.)
In C, he is not literally
A and B are understood to mean that the thing following "as if" is contrary to fact. (If "nothing had happened" isn't true, then something happened.)
In C, he is not literally
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GPYA and B are understood to mean that the thing following "as if" is contrary to fact. (If "nothing had happened" isn't true, then something happened.)However, "He talks as if he knows everything", though probably by default understood to mean that he doesn't know everything, could mean that the speaker has the impression that he does know everything
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