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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

was/were in past tense with pronoun

I was explaining to a friend that my step-daughter is only 13 years younger than me, but while I was saying it I second guessed my use of the word 'was', rather than 'were'. "I would have had her at 13 if she was mine."
Should I have used 'were' instead?
  

Top answer

Yes, I would use were , the subjunctive mood in the case of 'contrary to fact'.

— Philip

  • Yes, I would use were , the subjunctive mood in the case of 'contrary to fact'.
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2 Answers
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Yes, I would use were, the subjunctive mood in the case of 'contrary to fact'.
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Anonymous'was', rather than 'were'
Both are used, but the "more correct" form is "were", especially in American English.

Here's a basic explanation. It's a matter of changing "was" to "were" after "if" as long as the other clause contains "would" or "could'

I would not treat her like that if she was/were
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