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Date: | Fri, 9 Sep 2011 10:54:03 -0400 |
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A friend is nearing the end of writing a book and writes me:
I have been going over my manuscript with a fine-toothed comb. I paid a
copy editor to correct the punctuation and usage, and today I subscribed to
the "Chicago Manual of Style" on line, for a 30 day trial. But I have been
finding inconsistencies in the copy editor's changes that the style manual
doesn't exactly answer. Right now I stuck on the use of "was" or "were"
after an "if." I always thought that it was the subjunctive and should be
"if I were," etc. However, the copy editor has changed my "were" every
time. Here's an example of his change: "Every time he drove up the winding
driveway, Howard felt as if he was entering a baronial fiefdom." Do you
have any idea what the current usage is? I'm very confused so if you have a
clue, let me know.
I too would use the subjunctive (when it's contrary-to-fact). What should I
tell my friend?
Jane
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