Can a grammar wizard help me?

[pat]

When I write or speak, I keep finding myself saying "If I were..." or "If he were..." Intellectually, I keep thinking those should be "was", since the verb is singular. (Interestingly enough, I am less likely to use "were" if there is a noun rather than a pronoun in the sentence.)

I'm trying to figure out why I do this. Is there some sort of, I don't know, speculative verb tense?

Comments

Re: Subjunctive Mood

[adriang.livejournal.com]

You may be right. I did some hunting on the web, and there seems to be only vague agreement on the proper use of subjunctive mood. Some assert that subjunctive implies significant doubt, but others think any hypothetical will do. I apparently learned about subjunctive mood from someone who thought substantial doubt was required, but I don't see anything close to general agreement around the internet on that point.

Adrian