0
Tomeq35 Posted 8 years ago
Grammar

Tense after As if/as though

Hello,
I know that this question has already been asked countless times, but I still can't grasp the difference between past subjunctive and past perfect subjunctive construction after as if/as though as described here:
https://www.grammaring.com/as-if-as-though



The examples used there are:
- for the past subjunctive: He looked as if he knew the answer.
- for the past perfect subjunctive: He seemed as if he hadn't slept for days.

(I'm baffled only by the cases with the first verbs being in the past tense)

My question is:
If you can put the verb preceding as if/as though into the past tense in the past subjunctive,
then why do you need the construction with the past perfect subjunctive if it's also about the past?

The past subjunctive should be used (according to the link above) in the case of unreal situations in the present.
So, if you put the verb preceding as if/as though into the past tense, does it mean that it is the present as seen by the speaker in the past? Like in a novel, short story etc., where the narrator uses the past tense to tell the story, even though he or she behaves as if it were the present for him or her, and the future was still unknown?

In that case, for everything that happened before that line of narration (in the past tense but being viewed by the speaker as the present) should be used the past perfect subjunctive, am I correct? Especially if there appear words like "yesterday" etc.?

Kind regards,
Tom

  

Top answer

1. He looks as if he knows the answer. 2.

— GPY

  • 1.
  • He looks as if he knows the answer.
  • 2.
  • He looks as if he knew the answer.
  • 3.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0

1. He looks as if he knows the answer.
2. He looks as if he knew the answer.
3. He looked as if he knew the answer.
4. He looked as if he had known the answer.

(1) is natural for me. I find (2) a bit strained or unnatural. (1) does not involve any subjunctive or "unreal" tenses, and its backshifting to (3) is straightfor

0

Related Questions