Were To
Hello everyone,
What does "were to" mean in the following sentence?
If only he were to help them, they would be glad.
Does it mean "were going to" or "wanted"?
Regards,
JA
Top answer
The closest paraphrase is using the simple past of the main verb in the if-clause. It is an older form of the subjunctive mood which is not used very often. It seems rather formal to me.
- The closest paraphrase is using the simple past of the main verb in the if-clause.
- It is an older form of the subjunctive mood which is not used very often.
- It seems rather formal to me.
- Here are pairs of sentences with the more common forms and the "were to" forms If only he were to help them, they would be glad.
- If only he helped them, they would be glad.
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The closest paraphrase is using the simple past of the main verb in the if-clause.
It is an older form of the subjunctive mood which is not used very often. It seems rather formal to me. Here are pairs of sentences with the more common forms and the "were to" forms
If only he were to help them, they would be glad.
If only he helped them, they would be glad.
If she we
0It is posing the possibility of helping. The decision to help has not been made.
"If he chooses to help them, they would be glad."
",they would be" indicates the opportunity to help is in the present or future. If it has passed, then you would say, "they would have been happy.".
"Were going to" and "wanted to" would mean the opportunity to help has passed.
0If only he were to help them, they would be glad.
As has already been explained, it's a form of conditional construction. It uses the formal (and ill-named) 'past subjunctive', and is the logical equivalent of If only he would help them, they would be glad.
It could be paraphrased as If only he was willing to help them ...
The important point is that it
0
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