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Show JUST TAKE MY WORD y Frank Colby Which la comet, "If I waa you, or, "If I wan you" T The grammatical rule la: In the subordinate clauses of conditional sentence. WAS designates the Indicative In-dicative mood, and WERE designate des-ignate the subjunctive mood. And again we need ait Interpreter. Inter-preter. Let us put it this way: WAS radicate ra-dicate that which la a fact, or which la believed to be a fact WERE designates that which la not a fact, or which 1 entertained only In thought, fancy or desire. It is a fact (WAS Indicative): If she waa married, aha kept her secret, wall (If she was married. and we now know it to be a fact . . .) If there was a storm, it failed to waken me. (If there waa a storm, and it 1 a fact there waa . . .) If she waa ill. It didn't Interfere with her work. (If she waa ill, and It la a fact that she waa . . .) It I not a fact (WERE subjunctive): sub-junctive): If I were you, I'd deny It (Impossible; (Im-possible; I cannot be you.) If I were younger, I would enlist (But how can I be younger than I am?) . If It ware Tuesday, we could arrange to go. (But It Isn't Tuesday, Tues-day, as the word "IT' clearly shows.) Even though shs were married, aha would continue to work. (Obviously (Ob-viously she isn't married.) Note: Always use WERE after a If, and aa though, for both Imply "it appears to be so, but it I not so." Correct: She looks aa If she were 111. He act a though hs ware die-appointed. die-appointed. They talked a If they were wealthy. I agreed as though I war sure of my facta. Caution: Tou waa, w waa, they waa" ehould never be used. In both the Indicative and subjunctive moods, say "you were, we were, they were." An understanding of the personal per-sonal pronouns Is essential to good English. Mr. Colby's leaflet, C-12. la used in hundreds of classroom because of Its simplicity and common com-mon sense. For a copy, send Be in coin, and a stamped; self -addressed envelope to him, care of The Salt Laka Tribune-Telegram Home Service Bureau, Salt Lake City 10, Utah. |