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		ESL forum >
		
		
		Message board > Help!!!     
			
		 Help!!! 
		
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 eng789
 
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							| Help!!! 
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							| This can �t be right, can it?????    If her hair were black, she would look completely different.      Do we really need to use "were" with "he, she, it"  in the 2nd conditional?   I thought it was only "I, You, We, They" that took were.   If I were rich, I would buy a yacht.  -  I agree with.   but is  -     If he were rich,  he would buy a yacht.  -  just doesn �t sound right.   Thanks                      Barbara |  25 May 2010      
					
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 blunderbuster
 
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							| Yes, Barbara, they are correct. Using "were" instead of "was" is not obligatory, but I believe we use "was" in the second conditional only in informal conversations. 
 Regards
 
 |  25 May 2010     
					
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 wakebeauty
 
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							| Yes, we do!!! As we are talking about a situation that is not real, we use were for all the persons. If he were Michael Jackson,... but he isn �t!!! 
 Hope it helps, Fernanda Nunes. |  25 May 2010     
					
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 plemos
 
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							| I agree with wakebuaty. At leat that �s what I learned. |  25 May 2010     
					
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 eng789
 
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							| Great explanation wakebeauty.   Thanks everyone.     I think I �m ready for my summer vacation.  June 20th is getting closer every day. Hugs from Israel. |  25 May 2010     
					
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 Bruna Dutra
 
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							| Hey Barbara... probably it doesn �t  �sound � right because we hear a lot of "If I was, If it was" and so on, in movies and music. But as Regina stated, they are informal. I wouldn �t know if in an exam they are accepted, for example, maybe someone else has the answer to that, but it sure is said like that too. 
 Best regards, Bruna.
 
 |  25 May 2010     
					
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