Would that it were so simple
The strange tale of the subjunctive in English
IN A recent supplement to The Economist, called “The World If”, we considered several hypothetical futures under such headlines as: “If Donald Trump was president” or “If the ocean was transparent”. Several readers wrote in dismay: surely we meant: “If Donald Trump were president” and “If the ocean were transparent”. Does no one know the English subjunctive anymore?
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Would that it were so simple”
From the August 13th 2016 edition
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