Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
If we do not hit our goal we will be forced to close the site.

Current status: https://keepboardsalive.com/

Annual subs are best for most impact. If you are still undecided on going Ad Free - you can also donate using the Paypal Donate option. All contribution helps. Thank you.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.

Etymology of "As it were"

  • 13-02-2015 08:34PM
    #1
    Yearning4Stormy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 129 ✭✭


    Hi, folks,

    This is quite random, but it's been irritating me and I cannot find anything useful on the intertubes.

    I've been listening to Bill Bryson's Short History and he is quite fond of the phrase, "as it were". Now, the etymology of this phrase, as far as the intertubes goes, is that it's synonymous with, "so to speak". I don't have a problem with that. What I don't understand is why there's a singular pronoun and plural verb? Even though, "as it was" doesn't sound right in any context!

    Edit: Duuuuh, after typing all of that and doing some more research, I believe it's the subjunctive case. Every day's a learning day :)
    "If I were a rich man, ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_subjunctive

    Any other examples of strange sentence structures that are technically correct?

    Thanks!


Advertisement