A good trick to decide which you want to use is to determine if the thing you are talking about is something that actually happened or something that you are wishing or imagining might have happened. If it really happened, use “if I was,” but if not, go with “if I were.” Phew! Our heads hurt just thinking about that.
Besides, When to use if it was or if it were?
Use ‘if I was’ for real situations that are in indicative mood. Used in a subjunctive mood, ‘if I were’ indicates an unreal situation. Something that can never happen. You are imagining a situation, that isn’t true yet or cannot be true.
Keeping this in mind, Can we say I were? “I were” is called the subjunctive mood, and is used when you’re are talking about something that isn’t true or when you wish something was true. If she was feeling sick… <– It is possible or probable that she was feeling sick. “I was” is for things that could have happened in the past or now.
What is the correct use of were?
Use “were” as a past tense verb, as the: First-person plural of “be” (We “were” busy last week.) Second-person singular and plural of “be” (You “were” busy last week.) Third-person plural of “be” (They “were” busy last week.)
Why do you say if I were?
“I were” is called the subjunctive mood, and is used when you’re are talking about something that isn’t true or when you wish something was true. If she was feeling sick… <– It is possible or probable that she was feeling sick. “I was” is for things that could have happened in the past or now.
Can I use were with I?
We use “were” with you and they and we: it is the plural past form. But sometimes we can use “were” with I (he, she, it): I wish I were a sailor.
Is I wish I were there grammatically correct?
The subjunctive is used when referring to potential or hypothetical situations, like wishing for something that doesn’t exist yet. “I wish I were” is grammatically correct because you’re wishing for something that hasn’t occurred yet. Once it becomes real, you can switch back to “was.”
How do you use were in a sentence?
Were sentence example
- “You were very greedy,” said the girl. …
- I don’t know where they were planning to sit. …
- There were sparks between them from the start. …
- My parents were deeply grieved and perplexed. …
- They were faithful straight liners. …
- When the kids were settled in their room, she turned on Alex.
Where or were in a sentence?
Were is the past tense of be when used as a verb. Where means in a specific place when used as an adverb or conjunction. A good way to remember the difference is that where has an “h” for “home”, and home is a place.
Were and was singular or plural?
Was is used in the first and third person singular past. It is used for statements of fact. Were is used in the second person singular and plural and first and third person plural.
What is meaning of if I were you?
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishif I were youif I were youspoken used when giving advice and telling someone what you think they should do I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.
Is if I were a boy grammatically correct?
You should always use the subjunctive after if to suggest a hypothetical situation e.g. if I were lucky, if it were to rain, if I were a boy, if I were you. But in casual, informal, spoken language, many people use the present tense e.g. if I was lucky, if it was to rain, if I was a boy, if I was you.
Do we use was or were with you?
We use “was” with I, he, she, it when speaking of the past: it is the singular past form of the verb “to be”. We use “were” with you and they and we: it is the plural past form.
Is I singular or plural?
Choosing between Singular and Plural Pronouns
|
Singular |
Plural |
|---|---|
| I | We |
| Me | Us |
| Myself | Ourselves |
| You | You |
Why do we use plural verbs with I?
The singular pronouns I, he, she, it, and one, and all singular nouns, take a singular verb form. It is only the singular pronoun ‘you’ that takes a plural form. It just so happens that the first person singular verb for for all verbs except BE has the same form as the plural.
What was I doing or what were I doing?
I think “What was I doing” is the past tense of “What am I doing”. And “What were I doing” is in a subjunctive mood? Subjunctive mood is not used for the verb that inverts with the subject in a direct question. “What was I doing?” is correct.
What tense is used after I wish?
The verb after “wish” is one tense back, so that if you are wishing for a different present situation, the tense that follows “wish” is past simple or past continuous. If you are wishing that a past situation was different, the tense that comes after “wish” is past perfect.
What is correct sentence?
In order for a sentence to be grammatically correct, the subject and verb must both be singular or plural. In other words, the subject and verb must agree with one another in their tense. If the subject is in plural form, the verb should also be in plur al form (and vice versa).
How I wish in a sentence?
“How I wish we would have known, ” said Potter. Oh, and how I wish I’d prayed with her and not just for her. How I wish his answer could be more encouraging. Oh, how I wish I had said that first.
Where and were in a sentence example?
Were is a verb that’s the second person singular past, plural past, and past subjunctive of the verb “be.” For instance, “I was out last night,” becomes, “you were out last night,” or “they were out last night.” Also, “were” is pronounced different than “where” and “wear,” except when it’s used in the word “werewolf,” …
How do you use where were?
Were is the past tense of be when used as a verb. Where means in a specific place when used as an adverb or conjunction. A good way to remember the difference is that where has an “h” for “home”, and home is a place.
Where and were pronounced the same?
WHERE and WEAR are all pronounced the same. They are pronounced with two sounds: W-AIR. WERE Is pronounced with two sounds: W-ER.
What do we express with was and were?
Generally, ‘was’ is used with singular pronouns (one subject), and ‘were’ is used with plural pronouns (more than one subject), but the pronoun ‘you’ is an exception! WAS is usually used with the pronouns ‘I’, ‘she’, ‘he’, and ‘it’. WERE is usually used with pronouns ‘you’, ‘we’, and ‘they‘.
Was and were subject verb agreement?
The basic rule is that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. … Circle the correct verb. was = singular were = plural. a) He (was/were) prepared for school.
Was or were with there?
There was is used when you refer to one thing or person. There were is used when you refer to more than one thing or person.