He talks as though he knows / knew everything

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Tan Elaine

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He talks as though he knows everything.
He talks as though he knew everything.

Is there a difference in meaning between the sentences? Thanks.
 

probus

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Only the first sentence seems natural and correct to me. I would use knew everything only if the first verb was in a past tense. He talked/was talking as if he knew everything.
 

konungursvia

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Yes, you could say English has a 'tense harmony' one could compare to the Hungarian vowel harmony:

He speaks like he knows everything.
He spoke like he knew everything.

I think you are right.
I thought you were right.

In each case, the second verb in the past tense (knew, were) doesn't really indicate a past time, but we put it in the past most of the time because it 'matches' the sentence as a whole.
 

Route21

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The OP used the term "as though" (which I would have personally used) rather than "like".
Is there any difference in appropriate usage or nuance between the two?

I would also see the follow-on as being, potentially, "but he is/was just regurgitating, parrot-fashion, what someone else had written".

Regards
R21
 
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