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 Bryan A. Garner's "Dictionary of Modern American Usage", the set phrase "suffice it to say" is explained to be the subjunctive form of the indicative "it suffices to say". The article on the subjunctive mood in

I profess that I am a thief. Okay, but "confess" would be more common. To acknowledge I profess like a father. My American Heritage gives this meaning (intransitive), but I've never heard it. There are common religious meanings,

Only the first is acceptable to my ear. (AmE) I don't interpret "The only pity is that" as a case that requires the subjunctive. The version of this that can take the subjunctive is as follows. It is a pity that I should have missed

The subjunctive is apparently still used a bit more often in American English than it is in British English. The most likely time you will see it used is after certain verbs in a that-clause -- though the word "that" is sometimes

I searched and found this.how are these considered subjunctive? Thanks Some fixed expressions use the subjunctive. Here are some examples: Long live the King! God bless America! Heaven forbid! Be that as it may, he still wants to see her. Come

Well, Anton, you do ask some challenging questions! As for your examples, I got a question only about this one: «Karen talks as if she knows what she's talking about.» Am I right that the difference between this and the subjunctive version

This is an example of the present time subjunctive mood. It is giving a hypothetical situation which is not true. The past form of the verb is used, followed by "would" or "could". If I were rich, I would go to Hawaii. (I am

I may not get something, but it still addles me a bit. Why not use I wish I went ? So, as I get we can't say that. ? Go usually implies repeated action, it is not used to indicate what is happening at this very moment: I go there

1. To express regret about a present situation, the past tense is used, as you say. However, for this situation you need the continuous past tense in your sentence: I wish / If only I were going to America! (I'm going somewhere else at the