The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-15
CHAPTER VIZ.

Common Errors CT the Careless
1t is the careless speaker VINO says, 7
wish l was soiEs TO Europe, and. IF L
was going 1 woIltt study French, in
stead of the correct forms: T wish 1
were going to Europe and IF l We're
going l should study French" 1t would
be a better plan for the careless speaker
to stay at home and study English. How
ever, many persons Who are not care
less in speech have difficulty in deter
mining when to use '.If was and when
to use IF / were" The. essential differ
enee between these two. forms is that IF
L was expresses a past event about
which there IS certainty while If |
were expire sses a past event about which
there is uncertainty. Ags.a, IF l were
| and u wish 4 were, = with the infinite
| form OF some verb, express u future event
about which there is uncertainty. So
that IF I were has not only a doubt
ful. past, but doubtful future as we'll
In order that the mystery developed in
this uncertain past and equally uncer-
tain future may be cleared away the en-
tire work cat grammatical construction
in this article VIII be devoted to the
Proper Use OF IF I was, ., eff were,
isfle Il wish. I were
Common {: Issssral.ss OF the Careful
,-;es (: Speaker.
It is the careful speaker who says, ST
SHOULD have been obliged to have gone.
although i should have found it difficult
TO have done 50. y instead of the correct
form, I should have been obliged to go,
although L should have found il difficult
to dos5so."- Having introduced all of
these shaves, our careful speaker ex-
Eeriences feeling of satisfaction. He
Old. not err In saying II would have been
Obliged. ror did he say, 81 would have
foiind 1t difficult" instead of q should
lave found it dificult:;, but he found his
Waterloo. in HAVE. One will have no
difficulty IN using the infinite il. one will
remember that the time Of the action
recorded by the infinite is not absolute.
nut dependent upon the time of the nrin.
cipal. verb Thus, Il Should have been
obliged to have gone" is incorrect be-
cause it iss-inpossible for a person to
feel obiiged to do something in the past.
Il should have found it difficult TO have
done So is incorrect because the diff
Guilty would arise from the speakers at
tempt to &C and not from his having
gone. The following rule viii be helpful
in enabling person to remember when
to use the present infinitive and when to
use the perfect. Rule: When the in
flnitive refers to a time coincident with
or after that of the principal verb, the
present Gas, to. he of the verb to bel
should be used. But when the reference
is to time prior to that Indicated by the
principal verb Cor its equivaient) the per-
fect inflnftive Gas, to have been of the
verb to bel should be used.
Grammatical Construction.
If I was and if I were.
PAST TENSE.
Second persen-If thou vast. If you were.
Third persor-If he was. If they were
PAST TENSE (ANOTHER FORM).
First person-If were If we were.
Second person-If thou vert If you We're
Third person-If he were. If they were
Note-If we were, if you were and if
they were are the same in both FORMS
consequently 1T is only necessary to de-
termlne when to use if I was, if were,
II he was and if he were IF 1 were
and If he We're. ,(modern grammarians
regard IF I was, and IF he was
past FORMS of the. indicative mood, and
II We're" and IF he were" as past
forms of the subjunctNe mood are the
proper forms to use when the SUPPOSE
ton of the action or state is merely
thought of @
IF was" and ''If he was are the
proper forms to use when the SUPPOSE.
ton of the action, or state may be re-
garded as q fact.
Were is always used after the express
sion of wish. Examples: I wish 1 were
going with you. L wish he were here
He wishes he were rich.