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OttoJ Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Is to be defined

-If poetry is to be defined by the subject matter alone, Mr Walcott would have ended up with material five times superior to that of the bard who wrote in the Ionian dialect and who, too, loved the sea.

For the if-clause, why not WAS/WERE (hypothetical now) or HAD BEEN (hypothetical past)?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

OttoJ For the if-clause, why not WAS/WERE (hypothetical now) or HAD BEEN (hypothetical past)? The writer wishes to make clear that that definition is always a possibility.

— Mister Micawber

  • OttoJ For the if-clause, why not WAS/WERE (hypothetical now) or HAD BEEN (hypothetical past)?
  • The writer wishes to make clear that that definition is always a possibility.
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1 Answers
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OttoJFor the if-clause, why not WAS/WERE (hypothetical now) or HAD BEEN (hypothetical past)?
The writer wishes to make clear that that definition is always a possibility.
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