'were it not'?

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warrener

#197319 Thu, 16 Feb 06 03:39 AM

Here is a sentence:

That half of the light would be lost were it not for the extraordinary structure of the scales.

Is this a special grammar usage?

warrener

Joined on Sun, Feb 27 2005

Full Member (145)

Grammar

paco2004

#197325 Thu, 16 Feb 06 04:09 AM

"Were it not for X" is synonymous to "if there were not X".

paco

paco2004

Joined on Wed, Nov 17 2004

Senior Member (4,095)

In Japan today even dogs are learning how to bow-wow in English.

milky

#197701 Fri, 17 Feb 06 01:18 AM

Warrener wrote:

Here is a sentence:

That half of the light would be lost were it not for the extraordinary structure of the scales.

Is this a special grammar usage?

It's in the subjunctive mood. It expresses a contrary to fact situation.

milky

Joined on Thu, Jan 15 2004

Senior Member (3,149)

Hume said that if we had perfect or complete descriptive knowledge of reality, we could not, by reasoning, derive a single valid "ought".

Grammar, Subjunctives

katsudon

#197748 Fri, 17 Feb 06 03:27 AM

Warrener wrote:

Here is a sentence:

That half of the light would be lost were it not for the extraordinary structure of the scales.

Is this a special grammar usage?

It means the same thing as,

If the scales didn't have the extraordinary structure [that] they do, then that half of the light would be lost.

katsudon

Joined on Fri, Jun 10 2005

Junior Member (53)

Grammar