goofy
May 21, 2008 at 11:22 am
First and third person “was” and “were” are both used in present counterfactuals. “were” might be more formal.
I tend to think that if you’re wondering whether to use “was” or “were” in a case like this, you’re wondering too much. The verb “be” is the only verb where this distinction is made. With every other verb, the simple past form is used. If there was any ambiguity or confusion here, we would encounter it with every other verb.
If I were/was in Paris, I would visit the Eiffel tower.
If I lived in Paris, I would visit the Eiffel tower.
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6 Comments.
mrschili
May 17, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Really, ms_teacher, it was a COMPLETE surprise to me. I remember the girl, and I enjoyed having her in my class, but I had NO idea that I’d made such an impression on her. It’s always so gratifying to have students tell us that we were important to them, but it happens so rarely that it still comes as a surprise.
CTG, I can’t think of any other way I would have chosen to spend my morning!
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10 Comments.
mrschili
May 14, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Eddie, your second point is closest to my thinking. It is a day for ALL of them…
Heh, John – decision by Google. I’ve not tried that route before…. Now THAT’S an example of descriptive grammar, right?
Nope, Kizz; you weren’t the only one to wonder. Actually, it’s been bugging me for years now.
Fermat, I have more than one mother (though, if we’re getting right down to it, the biological one doesn’t count, so I guess it’s fair to say that I DO only have one). Still, I like the inclusiveness of Mothers’ . My thinking is that this question is going to boil down to a question of perspective and preference, anyway…
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