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Look at a man the way he is, he only becomes worse.
But look at him as if he were what he could be, and then he becomes what he should be.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
As if
After as if you sometimes use the past form of the verb when talking about the present, because the idea is not real. The grammatical name for this is the subjunctive.
- He acts as if he knew everything. (He does not know everything).
You also use the past in the same way with if and wish, and you normally use were with I / he / she / it. Was is also possible, but in formal English were is more common than was.
- If I were you, I wouldn’t go. or If I was you, I wouldn’t go.
- I wish Gary were here. or I wish Gary was here.
Cf. Gramática: Conditional III
Cf. Aprenda inglês com humor
Cf. Textos Mastigados
Referência: “Gems of Wisdom – Inspirational Messages to Enhance the Quality of Your Life and Improve Your English” de Jack Scholes – Disal Editora, 2007. Leia a resenha.
