Comments on: Student Stumper 35: “As if” and “As though”

By: englishwithjennifer

englishwithjennifer — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:38:40 +0000

I think it’s one of those tricky structures to teach, so many grammar presentations in books limit their examples to full clauses (subject + verb). It’s a frequent and “safe” pattern to model. However, I do feel confident that infinitives are used with regularity (“as if to say…”). Some might even call that an “infinitive clause” or a “to-clause.” Biber and his team of co-authors mention participles, so that’s still something to consider. In the end, I suppose advanced learners will pick up on the variations through exposure if those additional patterns are not directly taught. I’m glad, though, that know I’ve given some thought to the topic, so the next time someone asks me, I’ll have a better answer prepared!

By: smhcharles

smhcharles — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:32:12 +0000

I think a full clause should come after ‘as if’ and ‘as though’.

By: englishwithjennifer

englishwithjennifer — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:08:06 +0000

Thank you for the feedback, Kathleen. I’ll pass along the suggestion for a different font.
Regards,
Jennifer

By: Kathleen Stohrer

Kathleen Stohrer — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 20:27:22 +0000

Excellent content. I am so glad to have found this site. One very humble thought – Arial would be so much easier to read online. Perhaps TNR is choice for those who copy to print.

Thanks again for a very helpful site.

Kathleen