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Everlastinghope Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
The use of "were to".
Hello,
Please can someone help me understand the use of "were to" in these sentences ?
- Is "were to" in all these sentences mean the same ?what is its real meaning and when should it be used ?.
- Is it correct to say that (in the 1st and 2nd sentences),the past verb form suggests that the situation is less probable or imaginary ?,and the present verb form suggests that the situation is possible ?.
According to http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/wereto.html:
1- If Nathan were to be my boss, this job would be intolerable.( used in present).Can I paraphrase this sentence by saying : If Nathan is /was my boss, this job will /would be intolerable.
2-If I were to lose my job next year, I would probably not find a new one quickly.(used in the future).Can I paraphrase this sentence by saying : If I lose/ lost my job next year, I will / would probably not find a new one quickly.
3-If the fire were to have destroyed the building, it would have been a tragic cultural loss.(used in the past).Can I paraphrase this sentence by saying : If the fire had destroyed the building,it would have been a tragic cultural loss.
PS I would really appreciate an explanation from a native or an expert to avoid many posts.
Thanks in advance
Please can someone help me understand the use of "were to" in these sentences ?
- Is "were to" in all these sentences mean the same ?what is its real meaning and when should it be used ?.
- Is it correct to say that (in the 1st and 2nd sentences),the past verb form suggests that the situation is less probable or imaginary ?,and the present verb form suggests that the situation is possible ?.
According to http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/wereto.html:
1- If Nathan were to be my boss, this job would be intolerable.( used in present).Can I paraphrase this sentence by saying : If Nathan is /was my boss, this job will /would be intolerable.
2-If I were to lose my job next year, I would probably not find a new one quickly.(used in the future).Can I paraphrase this sentence by saying : If I lose/ lost my job next year, I will / would probably not find a new one quickly.
3-If the fire were to have destroyed the building, it would have been a tragic cultural loss.(used in the past).Can I paraphrase this sentence by saying : If the fire had destroyed the building,it would have been a tragic cultural loss.
PS I would really appreciate an explanation from a native or an expert to avoid many posts.
Thanks in advance
Top answer
what is its real meaning and when should it be used ?.
- what is its real meaning and when should it be used ?.
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21 Answers
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everlastinghope Does "were to" in all these sentences mean the same ?what is its real meaning and when should it be used ?.
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Hello, Everlastinghope:
I found something that may interest you. (It is in the 1983 edition of Mesdames Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman's wonderful The Grammar Book.)
Page 344:
Hypothetical conditionals can refer to the future as well as the present:
present: If Joe had the time, he would go to Mexico.
future: If Joe were to have time
I found something that may interest you. (It is in the 1983 edition of Mesdames Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman's wonderful The Grammar Book.)
Page 344:
Hypothetical conditionals can refer to the future as well as the present:
present: If Joe had the time, he would go to Mexico.
future: If Joe were to have time
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James MHypothetical conditionals can refer to the future as well as the present:present: If Joe had the time, he would go to Mexico.future: If Joe were to have time, he would go to Mexico.In the two first examples I wrote above ,"were to" is used ion both present as well as future and both start with "if ...were to"Not really much difference but how should
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Great question.
I shall be waiting along with you for someone to answer it.
I shall be waiting along with you for someone to answer it.
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everlastinghop;
The web site you quoted explains this very well. I'll elaborate a little bit
Context:
1)
If Nathan were to be my boss, this job would be intolerable. I would have to quit my job, and live with my parents while I look for a new job.
Nathan were my boss, this job would be intolerable. But I would grit my teeth, and look for somet
The web site you quoted explains this very well. I'll elaborate a little bit
Context:
1)
If Nathan were to be my boss, this job would be intolerable. I would have to quit my job, and live with my parents while I look for a new job.
Nathan were my boss, this job would be intolerable. But I would grit my teeth, and look for somet
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Hello, Everlastinghope:
May I add my two cents to Alphecca Stars' excellent explanation?
First, I found this statement from Otto Jespersen, one of the greatest grammarians on the English language:
Were to indicates merely a vague possibility in the future.
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Second, I stumbled across a website explanation that really helped me. I think
May I add my two cents to Alphecca Stars' excellent explanation?
First, I found this statement from Otto Jespersen, one of the greatest grammarians on the English language:
Were to indicates merely a vague possibility in the future.
*****
Second, I stumbled across a website explanation that really helped me. I think
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James M "If I become president in 2020, I will change many things."The candidate would use this version, because he wants to be assertive and positive, but not overconfident.
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James MWere to indicates merely a vague possibility in the future.Upon reflection, the use of the two different forms are not all that much different from each other.
"were to" is not heard as much as the other form, and perhaps indicates something more speculative.
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Hello again,
Well,AlpheccaStar,the website I gave didn't explain more except "were to " is used in present,past and future to to emphasize that the conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible.That's all.
But my questions were :
Well,AlpheccaStar,the website I gave didn't explain more except "were to " is used in present,past and future to to emphasize that the conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible.That's all.
But my questions were :
everlastinghope Is it correct to say that (in the 1st and 2nd sentences),the past verb form suggests that the situ
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Wow !! Great website indeed.Thanks alot.But as it explained,it's really tricky!!
I need some time to understand the subjunctive mood
I need some time to understand the subjunctive mood
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