I like this question. It's really about nuance and subtle differences. In a very basic way, you can say that 'can' is stronger, based on actual facts. Could is based on opinion and theory. By definition, can is referring to the

" If it be a sin to work hard then i am a sinner." Why do we use " be" instead of " is" in the sentence ? In mathematical problems why do we say "if x be a prime number and y be an odd number ".Why don't

I wish there were someone who knows what I mean when.. Actually, if I were you, I think I'd be just as concerned about the form of the other verbs in the sentence. I'd make them subjunctive as well. I would write the sentence this way: -

It would helpful to use those words in a sentence: (1) If I WERE the president (of course, I AM not), I WOULD always be serious, honest, and conscientious. (2) If I WAS rude yesterday (perhaps I WAS), I now wish to apologize to you.

Why should we use 'would' ,'could' in the subjunctive mood and in the future tense? would and could , along with several other verbs, are called modal verbs. The modal verbs don't really have tenses, so you can't really use

Hi There's no need for confusion. It's very simple. Normally we say: I was you were he/she/it was we were you were they were But Beyonce sings ' if I were a boy...'. --> What she sings is also correct. If I were president,

In choice English, it is preferable to say "I were" when you are talking about something that is not true: If I were handsome (I'm not); If I were the president (of course, I'm not); If this were the year 1930 (it's actually

So just because a sentence includes an 'if' doesn't mean it's always a subjunctive mood.

I agree with Ivan's analysis except: the second sentence is an example of a common error, even among natives. The third sentence is correct. The question is was/were usage with the subjunctive. Were is needed here because it is an example

Had is a past subjunctive in your sentence. For a continuous or progressive tense as they are also called, you always need the present participle, i.e. a verb ending ing: I am hav ing dinner at the moment. He was read ing a book when I called