I remember it as clearly as if it happens yesterday

[keannu]

This is not to discuss the meaning of "as-if" so persistently, but I found this wrong question in a workbook. I think "happens" is referring to a past action prior to the main clause, it should be corrected to "had happened" not "happened", right?

ex) Correct the wrong part.
I remember it as clearly as if it happens yesterday.=> happened

[emsr2d2]

This is not to discuss the meaning of "as-if" so persistently, but I found this wrong question in a workbook. I think "happens" is referring to a past action prior to the main clause, it should be corrected to "had happened" not "happened", right?

ex) Correct the wrong part.
I remember it as clearly as if it happens yesterday.=> happened

I would say "I remember it [as clearly] as if it happened yesterday".

[keannu]

I would say "I remember it [as clearly] as if it happened yesterday".

Doesn't past tense refer to the same tense of the main clause? Or did you mean a likely incident by "happened" opposite of counterfactualy incident by "had happened"?

[bhaisahab]

I would say "I remember it [as clearly] as if it had happened yesterday".

[keannu]

I would say "I remember it [as clearly] as if it had happened yesterday".

then, what's the difference between "happened" and "had happened"?
Is "happened" more real while "had happened" is more unreal even though there's little difference and the meaning has to be determined by context?

ex)I remember it as clearly as if it happened(had happened) yesterday

Does this "was" have the connotation of colloquialism meaning real past or unreal present?
ex2)He talks as if he was a doctor.(meaning sometimes were(present) or was(past))

[Calis]

I couldn't tell you the difference between "happened" & "had happened". Few would. But it definitely isn't "real" and "unreal".

I don't understand what you're asking with the second one, but the sentence should be if he were a doctor.

[Not a teacher]

[philo2009]

This is not to discuss the meaning of "as-if" so persistently, but I found this wrong question in a workbook. I think "happens" is referring to a past action prior to the main clause, it should be corrected to "had happened" not "happened", right?

ex) Correct the wrong part.
I remember it as clearly as if it happens yesterday.=> happened

I would prefer 'had happened' to denote counterfactuality (the event in question did not, in reality, occur yesterday).

Many speakers would, however, no doubt settle for preterite 'happened'.

[JMurray]

I would definitely write this down as "I remember it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday".
When I say it out loud (and I extended my research to include my partner's version) the "had" almost gets lost: "I remember it as clearly as if it'd happened yesterday"… but it's still there, in our house anyway.

not a teacher

[keannu]

I would prefer 'had happened' to denote counterfactuality (the event in question did not, in reality, occur yesterday).

Many speakers would, however, no doubt settle for preterite 'happened'.

If "I remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday" works as a past uncertainty and
"I remember it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday" works as a past counterfactuality,

Why doesn't "He looks as if he was a doctor" work as a past uncertainty?
"He looks as if he had been a doctor" will work as a past counterfactuality.