What is the meaning of "as if it were coming from a poem"?

Question

I found the following sentence on a Youtube video. I think the reason that they use "were" in the following sentence is to express a second conditional meaning. However, I am not one hundred percent sure about it. Therefore, I would really appreciate it if someone let me know whether my understanding about this sentence is correct or not. What's more, is it grammatically correct if I replaced the "were" with "was" in the following sentence because while I was studying second conditionals, I heard that it is feasible to use "were" or "was" regardless of the singularity of the subject.

If something is or sounds poetic, it expresses emotions and ideas, as if it were coming from a poem.

Reference:-

https://youtu.be/lQDUEQd9jIs?list=WL&t=1297

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

dileepaI think the reason that they use "were" in the following sentence is to express a second conditional meaning.

Right. It expresses a situation that does not really exist. It isn't coming from a poem, but it sounds the same as if it were coming from a poem. (If it were coming from a poem, it would sound like that.)

dileepais it grammatically correct if I replaced the "were" with "was" in the following sentence

Yes, but as an American, it bothers me a little to hear 'was' in that context.

Even so, "as if" is generally treated differently from just "if". After "as if" you will find almost any tense, while after just "if" the choice of tenses seems more limited.

dileepaI heard that it is feasible to use "were" or "was" regardless of the singularity of the subject.

To be sure you have this right, let me review the tenses after "if" in second conditionals:

if I were, if you were, if he were, if she were, if it were
if we were, if you were, if they were

But this can be relaxed to the following:

if I was, if you were, if he was, if she was, if is was
if we were, if you were, if they were

So if we was, if you was, and if they was are impossible.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

dileepaIf something is or sounds poetic, it expresses emotions and ideas, as if it were coming from a poem.

I'm a bit troubled by the conditionality in the sentence above. What I see is the zero conditional in the shape of If something is or sounds poetic, it expresses emotions and ideas. Now, the problem I have is how the truncated part of the second-conditional as if it were coming from a poem could be 'glued' to that zero-conditional clause without causing confusion.

What is the meaning of "as if it were coming from a poem"?

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