I wish I were…

I wish I were†¦ I wish I were I wish I were By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders whether to use was or were in the following examples: I wish I wereorI wish I was If only it wasor If only it were What is the rule?   With these examples, the choice is obvous because the words wish and if only make it clear that the speaker is talking about something that is not so. In such a case the subjunctive is called for: I wish I were If only it were Sometimes the choice whether to use the subjunctive or the indicative is not so clear. To a large extent, English speakers dont pay much attention to the subjunctive. As long ago as 1926 H.W. Fowler called the subjunctive in English moribund. He went further and suggested that it never was possible to draw up a consistent table of uses of the subjunctive in English that would correspond to such tables for Latin. Although the subjunctive is not a big deal in English, some uses of it are still alive and not difficult to master. Depending on context, the choice between indicative and subjunctive can be as obvious as the examples with wish and if only. If I were/if he were/if she were These forms are called for when the statement refers to a state outside reality: If he were Governor he could pardon you. (Hes not the Governor.) If I were you, Id fix that leaky roof. (Im not you.) If she were an animal, shed be an armadillo. (Shes not an animal.) If I was/if he was/if she was These forms are called for when the statement refers to a state of being that existed, or could have existed in actual time: If he was ill, no wonder he left the oysters untouched. If I was unkind to you in those days, please forgive me. If she was lost in the woods, no one can blame her for being late. Sometimes the speaker must decide according to intended meaning: If she were sensible, shed order a background check on him. (I know her and shes not sensible.) If she was sensible, shed order a background check on him. (I dont know if shes sensible or not. She may be.) In his DCBLOG, David Crystal gives this example overheard in conversation: A If Jane was right for the part, Id cast her. B But thats the point. Is she right? A Well if she were, Id cast her, thats all Im saying This example shows an intermingling of indicative and subjunctive to achieve nuances of meaning. Stated rule at OWL DWT article on Mood Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†Five Spelling Rules for "Silent Final E"A Yes-and-No Answer About Hyphenating Phrases

Policy & development and evalvation 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Policy & development and evalvation 2 - Essay Example It simply offers solution and tries to ascertain how an increase can be made to the number of people in the social housing. With examples from countries such as Britain, United States, and Sweden it analyses their policies and checks on whether they seceded or not. To this end, it is informative, sceptical, and analytical. To understand whether there can be an increase in the number of people who attain the social housing with the understanding that there are forces that fight this move and have led to the decrease of the same. Housing is a basic necessity. This then means that home ownership serves the purpose of ensuring that fundamental obligations are fulfilled. This may include raising the quality of family life and education. To this end, housing plays a fundamental role in the economies of both developed and developing countries with the governments of respective countries acknowledging this as a mirror of development. Housing policy then has been regarded in two different views; there are those who view it in terms of continuity or change with the change protagonist accusing the regime of short termism due to their nature of treating the housing as a â€Å"political football† and being chameleons in their nature of changing colours and direction to reflect party political preferences (Balchin and Rhoden 2002). These changing political positions have made it impossible to have choices that are rational in the housing sector. This change perspective is argued by Harloe (1995) who notes that th e case of British housing policy is ideal example where he links the change from the periods of 1919 to 1970s. He notes that this is as a result of both long term economic changes and shorter political tensions by stating that social housing widened from residual housing only in times of market disruptions and political upheavals. Barker