Grammar Nazi

  • This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.

blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
195,461
Atlanta GA
10168185_704790682898068_1618668730_n.jpg
 

HMW

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2012
145
744
Sweden
^

Was: first person introspective.

Were: Talkin' 'bout sumbuddy else, Willis.

I don't get it either, the whole ”was or were” thing. Despite English not being my first language I thought I had a fairly good grip on things, but I honestly don't understand the distinction. Let me take an example from the book I am currently reading, The Killer Next Door by Alex Marwood. On page 141 you can read the following sentences:
”’F**k,’ she says. ’That was close’”
and,
”That would have been a broken hip and an ambulance, if it were me”.

I have no problem with the first sentence and the use of was. But the second one eludes me. I have been taught (or at least that is the way I remember it) that: I and it = was, they = were.

If anybody could help me with the rules regarding this I would be delighted.
 

blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
195,461
Atlanta GA
I don't get it either, the whole ”was or were” thing. Despite English not being my first language I thought I had a fairly good grip on things, but I honestly don't understand the distinction. Let me take an example from the book I am currently reading, The Killer Next Door by Alex Marwood. On page 141 you can read the following sentences:
”’F**k,’ she says. ’That was close’”
and,
”That would have been a broken hip and an ambulance, if it were me”.

I have no problem with the first sentence and the use of was. But the second one eludes me. I have been taught (or at least that is the way I remember it) that: I and it = was, they = were.

If anybody could help me with the rules regarding this I would be delighted.
I've found this at TheFreeDictionary.com (which is correct ? was vs. were. - English Grammar - English - The Free Dictionary Language Forums).

I feel silly even for asking this, but the issue has bothered me for years, and to this point, I've found no direct answer yet. I once wrote a similar sentence as what matches the second example, in a college paper, and my professor did not attempt to correct it.

So please, if you know why, and for what reasons, explain to me which answer of the following two sentences is correct.

1. "If I was smart, I would go to graduate school."

2. "If I were smart, I would go to graduate school."

For some reason, in my head, both sound somewhat acceptable. I know that 'were' sounds like it should go with 'you' as far as matching up pronouns and their proper verb forms with the past tense of 'to be.' But even though I feel like 'was' is more appropriate, 'were' still doesn't sound wrong to me, in these examples.

What do you think ?




Checkout: Orange Crate Art: If I were, if I was
 

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
Moderator
Apr 11, 2006
53,634
236,697
The High Seas
Maybe this deserves its own thread, but I like it here:

The latest edition of Black's Law Dictionary has seven thousand five hundred (7,500) new terms. Among them:

intrapreneur
An employee for a large company whose job is to develop innovative ideas or ways of doing business for that company.

gazumping
The improper sale of a house, usu. by raising the price and selling to a different buyer after accepting an earlier offer.

affluenza defense
A newfangled legal defense, generally not recognized, that a youthful offender cannot be held responsible for criminal acts because the wealthy environment in which he or she has reared precluded any learning about right vs. wrong.

one-bite rule
1) The principle that a person or entity gets only one chance to assert the same rights or bring the same claims. — Also termed one-bite-at-the-apple rule. (See res judicata.)
2) A common-law rule or statutory provision holding a dog-owner responsible for any harm or injury caused by the dog only if the owner knows or has reason to know that the dog is dangerous.
We have a thread for this. Can someone point me to it and I will merge this post with it. I can't remember what it was called.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
This is a cool thread. I didn't read all the way through it, so if this has been asked before, sorry.

What defines the proper use of "if I were" and "if I was?" I always assumed "if I were" refers to something hypothetical, and "if I was" refers to something that could have been true. But I've seen instances where that doesn't seem to be the case. Any advice would be great.

"If I were"=action verb, i.e., "If I were to go..." "If I was"=noun, i.e. "If I was a chair..."
 

rudiroo

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2008
474
1,898
London, England
One of my favorites is hanged versus hung. I can't STAND it when they say "He was hung from that tree." Okay. But how did he die? When somebody's dangling dead at the end of a rope, they were hanged.

Sorry - this post is so funny, but I can't explain why - I mean, I want to, but I don't know how to. . funny is as funny is:big_grin:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Neesy and blunthead