The Language Perfectionist: The Wizard of Was
What’s wrong with these sentences?
- “He acts as if he was the boss.”
- “What if war was outlawed?”
- “I wish I was taller.”
Of course, each “was” should be “were.” But why?
The rule is that if the statement is hypothetical or otherwise contrary to fact, the subjunctive “were” is correct. That’s easy to remember, isn’t it?
You may occasionally encounter, or write, a sentence in which it’s open to debate whether the situation described is real or hypothetical, and thus whether “was” or “were” is the right choice. But such cases are rare. Most of the time, the correct word is obvious.
This is yet another battle that we language purists may be losing. But those who are educated and respect language know the rules. If you flout them, you may be judged illiterate, low class, or unworthy of an important assignment or promotion. So it often pays to observe conventional wisdom.
You’ve probably heard the song “If I Were a Rich Man” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. A Russian peasant who doesn’t even speak English got it right! So no one has an excuse.
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]
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