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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Was or were
which is correct "I wish he were here" or "I wish he was here. Why do you use "were" with he
Top answer
-- Both are 'correct', the former formally so. Why do you use "were" with he-- It is the subjunctive form of the verb, which uses 'were' for all persons. The subjunctive is used here for a condition contrary to fact (He is in fact not here).
- -- Both are 'correct', the former formally so.
- Why do you use "were" with he-- It is the subjunctive form of the verb, which uses 'were' for all persons.
- The subjunctive is used here for a condition contrary to fact (He is in fact not here).
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2 Answers
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I wish he were here" or "I wish he was here.-- Both are 'correct', the former formally so.
Why do you use "were" with he-- It is the subjunctive form of the verb, which uses 'were' for all persons. The subjunctive is used here for a condition contrary to fact (He is in fact not here).
Why do you use "were" with he-- It is the subjunctive form of the verb, which uses 'were' for all persons. The subjunctive is used here for a condition contrary to fact (He is in fact not here).
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Sadly, the subjunctive in this type of sentence seems to be largely disappearing in spoken English, at least in the U.S. Would that it were not so! The subjunctive "were" is still considered correct, however, and "was", although in common usage in the vernacular, is not correct, and certainly should not be used in formal writing.
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