I have a question regarding which it should be:
He acted as if he were owner of the place
or
He acted as if he was owner of the place.
Which is correct?
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tchrist
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Aditi Thakur
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Alternative that flows better: "as if he owned the place". – PixelSnader Aug 06 '15 at 13:37
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@PixelSnader Yes I like that phrasing better too. I generally approve of the strategy of re-working a sentence to avoid awkward artefacts of ancient grammar rules. – Sawbones Aug 06 '15 at 13:38
2 Answers
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Alternative that flows better: "as if he owned the place".
Not what you asked, but I figured I'd mention it anyhow.
PixelSnader
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You should post this as a comment, as it is not an answer to the OP's question. – Vlammuh Aug 06 '15 at 13:35
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The correct phrase is:
He acted as if he were the owner of the place.
This is a great example of the subjunctive in English, which is used to express ideas that are contrary to fact.
It is also a great example of formal "correct" English diverging from common parlance. Many people say "as if he was the owner of the place" in casual speech.
Sawbones
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