What is the difference between were and have been? What is the difference between "were" and "have been", and are these sentences gramatically correct? 1) some of the best known writers of detective fiction in the twentieth century were women
tense - If something was vs If something were - English Language . . . "If + were" expresses the subjunctive mood, which refers to wishes and desires and is known as a "non-factual" mood If you're mentioning a possibility or a probability, a chance that something could be, use " was "
meaning in context - Use of were to in English grammar - English . . . But I cannot rule out the possibility that Indian English—and specifically Indian Political English—has evolved this usage of were to precisely in order to express firmness and caution in the same utterance Perhaps our Indian readers could speak to this † This use is called subjunctive in traditional grammar