Grammatical Questions

[Meadow337]

Can we solve those pesky points of grammar for each other?? Or discuss them?

To get the ball rolling:

In having a moan about the acceptance of IM/text language as the norm I said the following:

"If there was more emphasis on teaching spelling and grammar perhaps fewer students would leave school functionally illiterate."

And a fellow Grammar pedant jumped on me for using 'was' not 'were'.

While realising that 'were' is the correct subjunctive form in most instances it is my understanding that 'were' refers to a counterfactual situation while 'was' refers to something that actually may or may not be true. In my sentence I'm expressing a wish for something that can be true and not something that can't i.e. it is not counterfactual in the same way saying 'If I were a boy ....' (I'm not a boy and can't be one)

Thoughts?

 

[Polly Parrot]

I think "were" would be the better choice here, mostly because you start the sentence with "If", thus suggesting that the situation you describe is not reality.

 

[Meadow337]

but it is not something that can't be a reality IF people applied themselves to it

I would (if the tense was not incorrect in the context of how I said it) say 'if there IS a greater emphasis on teaching grammar and spelling perhaps .... '.

so in the context of that thought I changed the tense to 'was' rather than 'were' which to me changes the intent and meaning of the sentence slightly but significantly.

 

[Lovecraftian]

Were is almost always correct in an 'if' situation. If I were there, I this were that, if yellow were blue, etc.

 

[Meadow337]

Yup I know, but I try to be very precise and say what I mean precisely.

"If there were ...' implies a situation in which teaching grammar and spelling will never happen ... just like 'If I were a boy..." is a statement that I'm not a boy and will never be a boy'

While

"If there was" says 'there currently isn't but may be' . I can say "if I was rich" which means I'm not rich now, but might be in the future.

Important difference to me any way.

 

[canuck]

Have just been reading this out of interest and not because I'm some grammar whiz but if you used "were" in the example that Meadow posted, to me it implies plural and emphasis is singular. It sounds better to me using "was" whether or not it is correct grammatically.