Topper Shutt's Blog
Friday, April 27, 2007
  If I were a rich man....

I am no expert in English grammar. Whenever my daughters have any English questions I always direct them to my wife. There is one rule, though, that my sixth and eighth grade teacher, Mrs. Hake, pounded into my head, the conditional tense. Anytime you begin a sentence with ‘if’ (the condition) then the verb must be ‘were’. It does not matter if your subject is singular or plural. If I were seven feet tall I would have chosen basketball as a career. Keep the conditional tense top of mind and you will be surprised how many times it is written or spoken incorrectly.

 
Comments:
Here's a thought, Topper.

"If it stops raining, I'll go outside."

"If you are so smart, why aren't you rich?"

No conditional needed. At all. The sentences are correct as written.

I'm an editor, and I've learned to question every grammar rule that claims it must "always" be followed.
 
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