as if I was vs as if I were

The correct phrase is "as if I were." This is because the subjunctive mood is used after "as if" to express a hypothetical or unreal situation. "As if I was" is considered incorrect in formal English.

Last updated: April 08, 2024 • 297 views

This phrase is incorrect in formal English. The correct form uses the subjunctive mood.

"as if I was"

The correct phrase is "as if I were." It is used to express a hypothetical or unreal situation.

Show examples from the web [+]

It was as if I was intimately joining death.
It was as if I was completely alone in the universe.
It wasn't as if I was remembering the past.
I felt as if I was dying inside.
They locked me in, as if I was...
Don't stare at me as if I was a savage.
Or perhaps, as if I was her surrogate...
I began to live and remember as if I was her.
He looked at me as if I was five years old.
But it was suddenly as if I was looking at my own lost son...
You do not look at me as if I was dull.
I felt as if I was already dead.
They beat me as if I was the worst anti-fascist! First Carlino, my own friend.
It was as if I was somehow being forced to leave something behind.
You can't order me into the country as if I was still a child.
He was the first man who ever looked at me as if I was something more than just a good time.
It was as if I was living in a stagnant pool and cancer dynamited the boulder that was separating me from the larger sea.
Don't talk to me as if I was just a guard.
I want you to treat me just as if I was your father.
I felt as if I was banging my head, my whole body, against the wall of blindness.

Alternatives:

as if I were
as though I were
as if I had been
as though I had been
as if I were to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It follows the subjunctive mood rule after "as if."

"as if I were"

The phrase "as if I were" is the correct form to use after "as if" to express a hypothetical or unreal situation.

Examples:

She looked at me as if I were a stranger.
He spoke as if I were not in the room.
It felt as if I were dreaming.
She acted as if I were the one to blame.
He treated me as if I were a child.

Show examples from the web [+]

That bootlicker looked at me as if I were filthy.
He looked at me as if I were insane.
He abandoned us and left me as if I were worthless.
When I die, I order these gentlemen to treat you as if I were living still.
Slowly, carefully... handling me as if I were a mound of clay... molded by the artist's tender touch.
She makes me feel as if I were imprisoned.
They treat me as if I were a liability.
You blame me as if I were responsible for everything.
Looks at me as if I were crazy.
Don't treat me as if I were a child.
It was as if I were pure Spirit-consciousness.
She stopped for a second, then continued on, as if I were a complete stranger.
And now they make me proud, as if I were their father.
Yes, you're looking at me as if I were some strange inset. I can't read like this.
Yes, I really felt as if I were drunk.
He was like a big brother and looked after me as if I were his own sister.
In the end you'll remember me as if I were dead.
Studying me as if I were a play or a blueprint.
Don't treat me as if I were a mental defective.
I'm not going to stand for your mother looking at me as if I were a thief.

Alternatives:

as if I was
as though I were
as if I had been
as though I had been
as if I were to

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as if I was vs as if I were

"as if I was"

"as if I were"

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