I found this example in The Guardian: If there were ever a time to join us, it is now.
Ruling out it is a hypothesis, I found it hard to understand the use of were in the sentence. Can somebody explain? Thanks!
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It's a fixed phrase; it doesn't need an explanation. What rules did you think it violates? – John Lawler May 11 '22 at 22:56
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The "were" is the subjunctive. It speculates upon the possibility of a time that may or may not have existed in the past. – Greybeard May 11 '22 at 23:43
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Except that modern-day English does not have a subjunctive. This is 'irrealis' were, an acceptable and more formal alternant to preterite"was". – BillJ May 12 '22 at 07:05