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Ask for help > A question in conditional 2
A question in conditional 2
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Pretty3
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A question in conditional 2
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Hi,
I need an urgent help.
What is the correct verb of be after she in this sentence :
If she ( be )........ you , she would visit her.
Thanks a lot in advance,
Pretty |
19 Feb 2011
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moravc
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If she was you, she would visit her. = "If + past simple, pronoun would verb."
If + present simple, pronoun will verb. = Conditional I
If + past simple, pronoun WOULD verb = Conditional II
If + past perfect, pronoun WOULD HAVE + past participle = Conditional III
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19 Feb 2011
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Pretty3
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Was or were ???
What about this sentence too
If Shakespeare ( be ).... alive now, he would write in an easy English .??? |
19 Feb 2011
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Panteleimon
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well native speakers would say was but grammar books might probably say IF SHakespeare WERE i hate grammar... but i �m an english teacher in greece how can that BE???? also check http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-eisele/if-shakespeare-were-still_b_190868.html
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19 Feb 2011
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anitarobi
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As far as I �ve been taught, were is preferred, although none is completely rejected and incorrect. Were is preferred for all persons only in this instance (normally, it is always I was, he/she/it was, but in if - If I were you... If he were me... etc.)
Take a look at this:
EXCEPTION If I were ...
In the Present Unreal Conditional, the form "was" is not considered grammatically correct. In written English or in testing situations, you should always use "were." However, in everyday conversation, "was" is often used.
Examples:
- If he were French, he would live in Paris.
- If she were rich, she would buy a yacht.
- I would play basketball if I were taller.
- I would buy that computer if it were cheaper.
- I would buy that computer if it was cheaper. Not Correct
from http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/presentconditional.html |
19 Feb 2011
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Pretty3
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What about the verb to be after they , we or you ????? was or were ??????? |
19 Feb 2011
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amyi
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Hello! I �m a native speaker, and I would say
If I were / If you were / If he were / If we were / If they were
�Was� can be heard after I or he, she, it - this is accepted and in common usage, but not as correct as using �were�.
Hope this helps! |
19 Feb 2011
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almaz
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Was or were? It �s a question of style, preference etc. But if we just take were, for example, I �d say we �re looking here at a subjunctive expressing a hypothesis (but unreal/contrary to fact) and, as a relatively rare beast, its usage tends to be more formal nowadays.
Incidentally, one way of determining the subjunctive in English after �if � is through inversion (just drop the �if �):
�Were I the Prime Minister, I would... �makes grammatical sense, but �Was I the Prime Minister, I would... � doesn �t.
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19 Feb 2011
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ELOJOLIE274
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normally it should be "were" but now you can hear "was" especially in Am. English.
I teach my pupils "if I/you/he/she/we/they WERE you, ... would do..." is always correct, and it �s the structure you will find in most texts, but "if I/he/she WAS you, ... would do... " can be said and you will hear it quite often in TV series...
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19 Feb 2011
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