In that they don't agree with me, they
must be wrong.:roll:
The American grammars I have consulted tell me that AmE usage is the same as BrE on this point, but I have met so many Americans who use
would in the
if-clause in cases where the books say it's incorrect that I am really not sure.
Are we talking about usage or correctness? Perhaps they will be correct a hundred years from now, but it's regrettable that they are so ahead of their time.
Most of the Americans I have met in recent years have been in the world of TEFL, and have had a sound education, so I am not talking about people who frequently make mistakes in grammar.
This is also regrettable, because they are making mistakes.
I also have the
impression that Americans in general are more fastidious about following
some rules than most British people - the subjunctive for example is more alive on your side of the pond than it is on ours, as is the use of
whom.
Could this be a case where American grammar books have not caught up with normal usage, or have I really just met the wrong Americans?