the question sounds as if it asked about usual behavior

[Alexey86]

Hello! The following sentence is taken from my previous thread https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...A)-quarantine-with-your-wife-and-child-or-(B):

The voice offers a choice, but the question sounds as if it asked about usual behavior.

GoesStation marked the bolded part as a mistake and suggested that it be corrected to it's asking.

I tried to explain my choice with an excerpt from Grammaring.com ( https://www.grammaring.com/as-if-as-though ):

The past subjunctive after as if/as though indicates an unreal situation in the present. However, if the situation is true, we use a real tense to express present time:

He looks as if he knew the answer. (he gives the impression that he knows the answer, but he (probably) doesn't know or we don't know whether he knows or not)
He looks as if he knows the answer. (he knows the answer)

I used "asked" because the form of the question just gave me the impression that it's about usual behavior.

I've also found other examples of not using the progressive form (from Ludwig Guru):

1) ... way the mayor responds when asked whether he enjoys riding the subway.
He looks at the questioner as if he has asked about an invasive dental procedure.
" 'Enjoy' isn't quite the right word," he says. ... (The New Yorker)

2) Occasionally, in conversation with a media figure, I will ask if they have ever gone in for the Twitter vanity search.
Invariably, their faces will form an elaborate expression of bafflement,
perplexed at the mere existence of such an activity, as if I had asked them about nude golf. (The New Yorker)

3) ... Eleanor Parker asks him in "The Voice of the Turtle" (1947)."Not a thing," Reagan answers merrily,
as if she had asked him what he knew about New Zealand, or modern dance. That is why "Love Is on the Air" was just the ticket. ...
(The New Yorker)

I have nothing against the progressive form in my original example. But I don't understand why it should be the present progressive, and what exactly is wrong with "asked".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Why present?

Since "offers" is present, "asked" is wrong. It should be a present tense.

So it would be fine to just say "asks." I agree with Goes that "is asking" sounds better.

 

[jutfrank]

This is what I think happened:

You meant asked as a past subjunctive but GoesStation read it as past simple (and so did I). That's why he corrected it—because past simple is not right there. He corrected it to present continuous because that's the most natural tense to use there. (I would have done the same).

Now, you could have used the subjunctive there, but along with the continuous aspect, to make:

The question sound as if it were asking ...

Like this, there's no way of reading the past simple.

 

[Alexey86]

Like this, there's no way of reading the past simple.

For some reason, neither you nor Charlie Bernstein decided to consider my reference to Grammaring and the examples I found.

If "He looks as if he knew the answer. (he gives the impression that he knows the answer, but he (probably) doesn't)" works well, why is "asked" wrong?

 

[jutfrank]

What part would you like us to consider? What's the question exactly?

 

[Alexey86]

What part would you like us to consider? What's the question exactly?

Sorry, I added the question just before you replied: If "He looks as if he knew the answer. (he gives the impression that he knows the answer, but he (probably) doesn't)" works well, why is "asked" wrong?

 

[jutfrank]

Because your sentence reads as if knew were past simple, not past subjunctive. That's how I read it, so I assumed that's how GoesStation read it too.

I've already said what I think led to such a misreading—the expectation of having a continuous aspect there, whether that be is asking or were asking.

 

[Alexey86]

Because your sentence reads as if knew were past simple, not past subjunctive. That's how I read it, so I assumed that's how GoesStation read it too.

Now that you know I meant past subjunctive, is my sentence correct?

 

[jutfrank]

It's grammatical. The problem was with the interpretation.

Anyway, I'll refrain from commenting further until GoesStation or other members confirm that my explanation is right.

(Despite this misunderstanding, I'm still impressed that you attempted to use the past subjunctive!)

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

For some reason, neither you nor Charlie Bernstein decided to consider my reference to Grammaring and the examples I found.

If "He looks as if he knew the answer. (he gives the impression that he knows the answer, but he (probably) doesn't)" works well, why is "asked" wrong?

1. Your link says: ""[FONT=&quot]The page you requested could not be found. It may have been removed, had its name changed or is temporarily unavailable."[/FONT]"

2. Grammaring is a poor reference. Avoid online references whenever possible.

3. I stand by my original statement: Since "offers" is present tense, a past tense conjugation of ask is wrong. Likewise, since "knows" is present tense, "doesn't" is correct.

 

[Alexey86]

1. Your link says: ""The page you requested could not be found. It may have been removed, had its name changed or is temporarily unavailable.""

I've fixed the link.

 

[Alexey86]

Despite this misunderstanding, I'm still impressed that you attempted to use the past subjunctive!

Because your sentence reads as if knew were past simple, not past subjunctive.

This is also the past subjunctive, isn't it?

 

[Alexey86]

Grammaring is a poor reference. Avoid online references whenever possible.

Here's an excerpt from Practical English Usage by Swan (3rd ed., p. 68):

When we talk about things which we know are not true, we can use a past tense with a present meaning after as if/though.
This emphasises the meaning of unreality. Compare:
- She looks as if she is rich. (Perhaps she is.)
He talks as if he was rich. (But he is definitely not.)
- You look as though you know each other.
Why is he looking at me as though he knew me? I've never seen him before.
In a formal style, were can be used instead of was in an 'unreal' comparison. This is common in American English.
He talks as if he were rich.

I think my sentence fits this usage note:

The voice offers a choice, but the question sounds as if it asked/were asking about usual behavior. (But in fact, it doesn't/isn't.)

Now, I think were asking is a better choice because of a special focus on the question or the process of asking.