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inezZZ
why beyonce use 'were' in her song? Not if i was a boy? Kinda confuse
14 okt. 2010 05:11
Antwoorden · 5
5
Good question, and Beyonce is grammatically correct! (Unlike Gwen Stefani's "If I Was a Rich Girl", which is sloppy grammar.)
Although "were" is a plural of "was", it also is used for unreal, imagined or hypothetical situations in the past. That is, things that never happened.
For example, the correct form is "I wish I were taller." If you write "...I was taller...", that means it actually happened and you had become shorter since.
And for Beyonce, if she had sung "If I was a boy", that means that she actually was a boy in the past. Using "if" in the sentence just adds to the confusion. "If I were a boy" means she isn't a boy, never was a boy, and she can only imagine the situation.
14 oktober 2010
2
In "if" clauses, the "was" changes to "were". That's a rule in English grammar. In spoken English we often say "was".
14 oktober 2010
thankyou.. I know now :D
14 oktober 2010
It's unreal conditional, see here http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/grammar/unreal_conditionals_handout.htm
14 oktober 2010
Heb je je antwoorden nog steeds niet gevonden?
Schrijf je vragen op en laat de moedertaalsprekers je helpen!
inezZZ
Taalvaardigheden
Engels, Indonesisch, Italiaans, Japans, Javaans
Taal die wordt geleerd
Italiaans, Japans
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