Is the past subjunctive form native to your dialect of English?

[L2R]

bel, do you get pinched often?

 

[Belisarius]

^
Yes, but not by the right people.

 

[Perpetual Indulgence]

I speak in #1 but if someone said it like #2 I would not correct them like a grammar nazi as both sound correct to me

 

[Swimmingdancer]

If you're not familiar with this verb tense, there's an explanation here:
corresponding wikipedia article

For example, would you find it more natural to say,
1. If I were to carry out an attack on the capitol, I would employ VX nerve gas or
2. If I was to carry out an attack on the capitol, I would employ VX nerve gas.

If you find 1 more natural to say, then you use the past subjunctive.

ebola

Well in my country (Canada) we say capital not capitol

I find it more natural to say "I were" as opposed to "I was". But I don't think I would say "He would let us know if he were planning to arrive late" or "She looks as though she were going to kill him" like some of the examples given in that Wikipedia article, that just sounds wrong to me. I generally use "were" when referring to myself, especially if saying "If I were you..." and I use "was" if referring to others. I do not think it's acceptable to count "was" as incorrect.

According to Grammaring.com

Traditionally, the past subjunctive form of be is "were" for all persons including the first and third person singular. However, today I/he/she/it "was" is more common while "were" is mainly used in very formal styles and in the set phrase if "I were you".

(lol, that sounds like what I do)

 

[L2R]

^
Yes, but not by the right people.

that's potentially wacist!


nah, for some reason i picture the wrong people pinching you as being really old.

anyways, so would it be correct to say that IF you WERE/WAS to be pinched by a younger/righter person, you would be more stylistically discriminating with your past subjunctive expression?

 

[ebola?]

Well in my country (Canada) we say capital not capitol

Whoa, really? Americans only use the spelling "capitol" to refer to buildings that are the political centers of places, using "capital" for the many other meanings of the word (even the areas where capitols are found)...so Canadians don't use "capitol" ever?

ebola

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Whoa, really? Americans only use the spelling "capitol" to refer to buildings that are the political centers of places, using "capital" for the many other meanings of the word (even the areas where capitols are found)...so Canadians don't use "capitol" ever?

ebola

We use it when referring to the US Capitol. But it's interesting that you point out that "capitol" should only be used to refer to the buildings, I've definitely seen Americans use it to refer to the city or area, I didn't know that was incorrect until now

In Canada we would say "The Parliament of Canada is seated in the national capital, Ottawa"; "Parliament buildings"; "Parliament Hill"; etc. Or we would say "The BC Parliament Buildings are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the BC capital, Victoria". Some people do say "the capital buildings" etc but I don't know if it is actually correct to say that.

We only use "capitol" in reference to the US. (Except there are a couple small places named "Capitol Hill" in Canada, including a hill, but they have nothing to do with government or capitals and might be named after the US Capitol Hill).