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LESSON 4 · Grammar That Actually Matters

PAUSE TO THINK

Why does English use 'If I were' instead of 'If I was'?

The subjunctive mood survives there

"If I were" preserves the **subjunctive mood**, a form that has mostly faded from English. It survives in hypotheticals, set phrases, and formal demands like "I insist that he **be** on time."

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