Quizzes & Puzzles4 mins ago
grammer?
We are having a discussion in the office and which of these is correct?
- As if being the manager of the team was not enough.......
- As if being the manager of the team were not enough.......
.....and why......?
Answers
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Number 2 "...were..." is correct because it is in the subjunctive mood, i.e. it is speculating about a hypothetical situation which might happen, rather than a real event.
If there were no distinction between the indicative and subjunctive moods, there should be little difficulty in differentiating the meaning anyway, but the use of the subjunctive adds more flavour and subtlety to the language. If the subjunctive mood became defunct in the future, most people would hardly notice, except for us grammar-pedants.
Actually, it depends entirely on whether the situation is hypothetical or not.
If the person speaking the words suggested actually is the manager, then the indicative, not the subjunctive mood of the verb is perfectly appropriate. He might say: "As if being the manager of the team was not enough, the management now want me to be the physiotherapist as well!"
Should both jobs be being offered to him simultaneously, when he currently holds neither, then he ought to say: "As if being the manager of the team were not enough, the management want me to be the physiotherapist as well."
Therefore, it hangs entirely on the actuality or hypotheticality of the situation.
Dear Marmaduke, there is no such rule - prescriptive or otherwise - as you describe. Here's part of what that venerable old guide to good English - Fowler's 'Modern English Usage' - has to say about 'as if' structures. It refers to the subjunctive singular 'were' form and then continues:
"But when uncertainty or hypothesis is less obviously present or not present at all, the indicative form 'was' should be used."
If there is any rule...that's it! As I said in my earlier response, the use of 'were' or 'was' in 'as if' statements depends entirely on whether there is any hypothetical element and not on anything else. End of story.
Of course, if you are American, things may be different. However, as this is a British website, my answer is based on what applies in British English.