bostonlass
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"was" or "were"?
Is the use of "were" in this sentence gramatically correct?
Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom ached as though I were hiking up a mountain.
It is bugging me to no end. I just got over the stress of learning the difference between "which" and "that", though to be honest I am still very
confused. 
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Melanie
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I'm a little fuzzy on were and was as well.
However, the way you have the sentence written, it is the 'walking' that is aching, and that's impossible.
Walking from the bedroom to the bathroom, I ached as though I was/were hiking up a mountain.
Melanie 
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Cyndee
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I am terrible at grammar and have grappled with this one myself. Someone else with more knowledge than me will come along I am sure, but in the
meantime this is my take on the sentence.
Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom ached as though I were hiking up a mountain.
Since it is singular, I would write "I was hiking up a mountain"
For plural I would write "They were hiking up a mountain"
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Nancy G.
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Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom I was aching as though I were hiking up a mountain.
That's my take. Add the 'I', and I think it is 'were' because, well, I think that is what you use when it is "as if" or "as though".
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Paul
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Single versus plural.
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bostonlass
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Thanks everyone! I wish I could just close my eyes and retrieve everything I learned about grammer in High School! It is amazing how much we forget
in twenty-five years. 
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Michy
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Quote: Originally posted by Cyndee  | I am terrible at grammar and have grappled with this one myself. Someone else with more knowledge than me will come along I am sure, but in the
meantime this is my take on the sentence.
Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom ached as though I were hiking up a mountain.
Since it is singular, I would write "I was hiking up a mountain"
For plural I would write "They were hiking up a mountain"
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You would be right, if that part of the sentence were to stand alone: I was hiking...
But when you add the 'as though' or 'as if', you use 'were' when it's a 'wish' or a hypothetical situation that doesn't exist, usually with the words
'if', 'though', or 'wish'.
... as though I were... is correct, since it's the same as: if I were.
[Edited on 8-22-2010 by Michy]
Love and stuff,
Michy
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Michy
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| Quote: Originally posted by bostonlass | Is the use of "were" in this sentence gramatically correct?
Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom ached as though I were hiking up a mountain.[/ rquote]
Yes, this is correct, with Melanie's change for the subject.
| Quote: |
It is bugging me to no end. I just got over the stress of learning the difference between "which" and "that", though to be honest I am still very
confused. |
I probably should do a blog about 'which' and 'that' since I have frequently had to edit it in the short stories I've received for the contests.
[Edited on 8-22-2010 by Michy] |
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Michy
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| Quote: Originally posted by Nancy G. | Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom I was aching as though I were hiking up a mountain.
That's my take. Add the 'I', and I think it is 'were' because, well, I think that is what you use when it is "as if" or "as though".
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Exactly right, Nancy.
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Ditchdoctor
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I agree with Nancy, "Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom (My entire body, or legs) ached as though I were hiking up a mountain.
Don't let fear and common sense stand in your way.
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Paul
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This is not reading right to me. Was and were are both conjugal forms of the verb "to be".
I was, you were, he was, we were, they were.
While I can't quote a grammatical rule, "I were" seems wrong to me even with other words like if around.
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Michy
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I understand that, Paul, and it usually sounds wrong to most people, because we don't usually do it right. And you are right about everything with the
conjugation of the verb 'were' and 'was', which are linking verbs and are a form of the verb 'to be'. One university online grammar source says using
the verb this way is becoming less common, but it is still the proper way to write it.
It's called the subjunctive form of the verb. It is used when the sentence is speaking about a conditional future. That is, a future that might be but
isn't, or a state that might be, but isn't, and is usually done as a comparison or metaphor or analogy, but sometimes as a direct statement.
In the sentence: ...as though I were climbing a mountain...
That is the subjunctive form of the verb, because the statement is conditional, subjunctive. The person isn't really climbing a mountain. If the
person were climbing a mountain, it would be written: I was climbing a mountain. But since she's not, it's written:... as though I were climbing a
mountain.
Anyway - the rule, if you want to look for it, is the 'subjunctive verb'. It IS, arguably, a very weak form of the verb, but when we writers seek a
means of metaphor or analogy so readers can understand by comparison or drawing a picture with words, we sometimes do have to resort to the weaker
forms for the purpose of prose.
Think about the famous song: If I Were a Rich Man.
Take the IF out, and it's: I was a rich man. With the 'if', it becomes a conditional future, and it changes to: If I were a rich man.
[Edited on 8-22-2010 by Michy]
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Camack
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Is it ok to start off a sentence with an "ing" word? I was taught it wasn't...that it showed you to be an amateur writer (not sure amateur is the
correct word I want there....beginning writer, inexperienced)
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Michy
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It's best not to do it. In fact, it's best to remove all 'ing' words that you can. Sometimes, 'ing' works, but most of the time, there is a strong way
to say it. I wrote a blog about it you can read here:
http://blog.accentuateservices.com/2010/07/16/writing-tip-dont-be-a...
You need to understand how the 'ing' form of the verb is used, mostly as a gerund, and then use it properly when you do. It's not that it can't be
used ever, but you need to understand when and how to use it, and starting a sentence with it is way weak.
You want to cut out every ing that is not necessary.
He was walking.
He walked.
It doesn't seem like it, but it makes a huge difference in how 'tired' your reader is when they finish the story.
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Paul
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lol, I was half way through reading your post and suddenly Topol singing "If I were a rich man" started in my head, a paragraph later you mention the
same thing! Ha!
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bostonlass
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So instead of starting with "walking" maybe I should have started with, "A walk from the bedroom...."?
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Michy
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Well, that depends. If you're saying, "Walking to the bedroom, he saw..."
You would change it to, "While he walked to the bedroom, he saw.."
Or, "He walked to the bedroom. In the hallway on the way there, he saw...."
Or any other combination of stronger language.
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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bostonlass
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Thanks!
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Skwerly
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Nice breakdown in this thread. Oddly, the "was or were" rule is one I also knew, but have no clue how I knew it. "As if I was..." just sounds like
it's already happened, because of the was, so It'd have to be were. Weird stuff. Glad I've been doing it right. 
Thanks, Michelle. 
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