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As If vs. As Though: Grammar Guide

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110 views2 pages

As If vs. As Though: Grammar Guide

Uploaded by

Hüray Atak Norans
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

As if & As Though Grammar Rules

As if and as though are used as conjunctions in sentences. We use as if and as though to make
comparisons. They have a similar meaning. We use as if and as though to talk about an imaginary
situation or a situation that may not be true but that is likely or possible. As if is more common than
as though. Definition from (Cambridge Dictionary)

Examples:

She spoke to me as if/as though she knew me, but I had never met her before.

It looks as if/as though it is going to rain.

She cried as if/as though she was dying.

Using as if and as though in different Tenses

After as if and as though we often use a past tense with present meaning. This shows that the
comparison is unreal. A present tense, on the other hand, shows that we are talking about real and
possible situations.

Examples:

She talks as if/as though she knows everything. (Perhaps she knows everything.)

She talks as if/as though she knew everything. (But she doesn’t.)

He looks as if/as though he knows the answer. (Perhaps he knows the answer.)

He looks as if/as though he knew the answer. (but he doesn’t know or we don’t know whether he
knows or not)

If we put the verb preceding as if/as though into the past tense, the present simple knows changes
into past simple, whereas the past subjunctive knew stays the same.

Example:

He looked as if he knew the answer. (Consequently, the meaning of this sentence (whether he knew
the answer or not) can only be deduced from the context.)

The past perfect subjunctive after as if/as though is used to refer to an unreal past situation. if the
situation is true, we use a real tense to express past time.

He seems as if he hadn’t slept for days. (it seems that he hasn’t slept for days, but he (probably) has
or we don’t know whether he has or not)

He seems as if he hasn’t slept for days. (he hasn’t slept for days)

Note:

When the main clause is in the past tense, we do not use past perfect after as if/as though to show
that comparison is unreal. Instead, we use simple past in both clauses.

Example:

He looked as if/as though he knew everything, but he didn’t. (NOT She looked as if/as though she had
known everything.)
Were instead of was

In an informal style, were is used instead of was in an unreal comparison. This is normal in American
English.

Examples:

He looks as if he was rich. OR He looks as if he were rich.

Future

It looks as if/as though it is going to rain.

We took an umbrella because it looked as if/as though it is going to rain.

I’ve got so much work it looks as if/as though I’ll have to stay at home this evening.

Common questions

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In informal American English, 'were' is often used in place of 'was' when expressing unreal comparisons with 'as if' or 'as though'. For example, 'He looks as if he were rich' is accepted alongside 'He looks as if he was rich' .

In terms of future prediction, 'as if' and 'as though' can be used interchangeably to indicate prospective situations. For instance, 'It looks as if it is going to rain' and 'It looks as though it is going to rain' both suggest the likelihood of rain, demonstrating future focus .

Using a past tense after 'as if' and 'as though' indicates an unreal or imagined situation, whereas using a present tense suggests a real or possible situation. For instance, 'She talks as if she knew everything' implies she doesn't actually know everything, while 'She talks as if she knows everything' suggests she possibly does .

While 'as if' and 'as though' are often interchangeable with negligible difference in meaning, their use may elicit subtle variances in tone or formality. A sentence like 'She spoke to me as if she knew me' can easily substitute 'as though' without significant semantic shift, maintaining the essential comparative function .

The past perfect tense is not used after 'as if' and 'as though' when the main clause is in the past because simple past is used in both clauses to indicate that the comparison is unreal. For example, 'He looked as if/as though he knew everything, but he didn’t' is preferred over using past perfect .

When a verb preceding 'as if' or 'as though' is in the past tense, the verb following these conjunctions shifts from present simple to past simple. The past subjunctive remains the same, indicating the comparison's unreal nature. For example, 'He looked as if he knew the answer' suggests an unreal past scenario .

Applying 'as if' or 'as though' with the present perfect and past perfect subjunctive involves context consideration to assert unreal past scenarios. The past perfect subjunctive is used with unreal past conditions, e.g., 'He seems as if he hadn’t slept for days,' indicating uncertainty about the truthfulness of his lack of sleep .

The past subjunctive after 'as if' and 'as though' can present interpretative challenges since it implies a hypothetical situation that is contrary to fact, causing potential misunderstanding without clarity from context. This subtlety requires nuanced understanding; e.g., 'She speaks as if she knew everything' implicitly denies her knowledge .

In informal American English, sentences utilizing 'as if' or 'as though' to describe hypothetical scenarios often replace 'was' with 'were'. For example, 'He looks as if he were rich' is an informal variation for hypothetical statements .

'As if' and 'as though' serve as conjunctions that introduce subordinate clauses, providing a comparison or description relating to the main clause. For instance, in 'She spoke to me as if she knew me,' the subordinate clause 'as if she knew me' compares the manner of speaking .

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