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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Verb Usage
I frequently read and hear something like: "If he were alive today....." I've read this several times in the book I am currently reading. Why does this seem to be correct? Why don't we say: "If he was alive today....."
Top answer
You will notice that were often substitutes for was after if when the main clause contains would or could . It's used for "unreal" situations. In your example, the person is not alive today, so the idea is expressed with were instead of was .
- You will notice that were often substitutes for was after if when the main clause contains would or could .
- It's used for "unreal" situations.
- In your example, the person is not alive today, so the idea is expressed with were instead of was .
- Not everybody always makes that substitution, so you will also hear it with was .
- To find out more about it, search for information about the subjunctive mood and conditional sentences.
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1 Answers
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You will notice that were often substitutes for was after if when the main clause contains would or could.
It's used for "unreal" situations. In your example, the person is not alive today, so the idea is expressed with were instead of was.
Not everybody always makes that substitution, so you will also hear it with was.
It's used for "unreal" situations. In your example, the person is not alive today, so the idea is expressed with were instead of was.
Not everybody always makes that substitution, so you will also hear it with was.
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