Quote:
Originally Posted by YuriTokoro
Hi, KyleGoetz, Koir. Thank you.
‘The subjunctive is "were" always, no matter the plurality of the subject.’
Now, I see. I was not sure that because some textbooks said “was”, and some other books said “were”.
KyleGoets, the sentence you wrote above is very clear, understandable and helpful.
Koir, you voted that you agreed with KyleGoets, so I’m convinced that he is right.
Thanks again.
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YT, I think the best thing I can say here is that this mix-up is something about 99% of native English speakers do, and in the real world no native would hear you say that and assume you were not a native speaker based on the mistake. I used to edit an academic journal, and authors made the mistake often, too.
Another mistake native speakers make often is they mix up "that" and "which." My non-native speaker fiancee actually learned the rule in high school when she was studying English as a second language, but I (a native speaker) didn't learn the rule until law school!