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Debpriya De Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Subjunctive

" If it be a sin to work hard then i am a sinner." Why do we use " be" instead of " is" in the sentence ? In mathematical problems why do we say "if x be a prime number and y be an odd number ".Why don't we say "if x is a prime number and y is an odd number."?
  

Top answer

The uses you quote are obsolete. I haven't heard them in the 73 years I've been around. Of course you'll find them in old books.

  • The uses you quote are obsolete.
  • I haven't heard them in the 73 years I've been around.
  • Of course you'll find them in old books.
  • "Is" is the correct term these days.
  • ") BTW, Welcome to English Forums, Debpriya De.
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1 Answers
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The uses you quote are obsolete. I haven't heard them in the 73 years I've been around. Of course you'll find them in old books.

"Is" is the correct term these days.

(Personally, I've always liked the "be.")

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