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Old 28-Oct-2005, 05:39
Jenne
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Default as if?

Can you please tell me the difference between the sentences below?

She looked as if she were made of ice.

When she came in from the rainstorm, she looked as if she had taken a shower with her clothes on.


The ablove sentences are both in "past tense'
But one of them uses past tense after "as if" and the other uses "past participle"tense.
I heard that 'as if' clause is like 'conditionals', and what I'm curious about is which tense we should use and whther the tense is regardless of the main tense.
(She looks as if she were made of ice. = She looks cold and icy.
She looked as if she were made of ice. = She looked cold and icy.)

And one more thing, is there any difference?
She looked as if she had been made of ice?
& She looked as if she were made of ice.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 28-Oct-2005, 09:39
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Default Re: as if?

[1] She looked as if she were made of ice. (past: looked, were)

[2] When she came in from the rainstorm, she looked as if she had taken a shower with her clothes on. (past: came, looked; past perfect: had taken)

Note that, the past perfect expresses an event after another event; e.g., I had eaten dinner before you called. (I ate dinner, then you called.)

[3] She looks as if she were made of ice. (present: looks; subjunctive: were)

[4] She looked as if she were made of ice. (past: looked, were)

[5] She looked as if she had been made of ice? (past: looked; past perfect: had been)
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