[Grammar] the subjunctive mood

[Ashiuhto]

Is the following sentence acceptable?

If I am a game designer, I will create an exciting online game.

 

[TheParser]

Is the following sentence acceptable?

If I am a game designer, I will create an exciting online game.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


I believe that the following might be more acceptable:

If I were a game designer, I would create .... ("Correct" English)

If I was a game designer, I would create .... ("Popular" English)

As you know, the subjunctive refers to something that is not true:

If I were handsome (I am not handsome), I would have many girlfriends.

If everyone were nice (not everyone is nice!!!), this would be a

wonderful world.

Would the world be a boring place if there were only one language?

(There are, of course, thousands of languages.)

P.S. Of course, I do not know what you are thinking. The subjunctive

often refers to something that is impossible (for example, I will never

be handsome!!!)

But maybe you are thinking of something like this:

If I become a game designer, I will create ....

By NOT using the subjunctive, I believe that you feel that there is a

real possibility of your becoming a game designer.

If I became the president, I would change many things. (Of course,

I will never become president.)

If Mr.X becomes president (there is a real possibility. He is famous,

rich, and popular), he will probably change many things.

 

[birdeen's call]

If I am a game designer, I will create an exciting online game.

This sentence is correct, but its meaning makes it unlikely.

It could be said in the following situation.

Tom suffered from amnesia. He didn't remember who he was. John asked him, "What will you do when you recover?" Tom answered, "I don't know who I am, so I can't know that either. If I'm a fireman, I will extinguish fires. If I'm a game designer, I will create an exciting online game."

 

[TheParser]

This sentence is correct, but its meaning makes it unlikely.

It could be said in the following situation.

Tom suffered from amnesia. He didn't remember who he was. John asked him, "What will you do when you recover?" Tom answered, "I don't know who I am, so I can't know that either. If I'm a fireman, I will extinguish fires. If I'm a game designer, I will create an exciting online game."

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) Your interesting comment reminded me of something.

(2) Is the following "correct" English?

If I knew who I am, I would tell you.

Well, one "expert" who is super proud of his English says that

it IS correct. It means that the speaker actually does not know who

he is. (Something like the guy with amnesia in your post?)

 

[Khosro]

Is the following sentence acceptable?

If I am a game designer, I will create an exciting online game.

As birdeen's call said the meaning of the sentence makes it unlikely. But I can imagine some other scenarios other than BC's:

A: You are just bluffing. You can't make something as exciting as this game.
B: If I am a game designer, I will creat an exciting online game.

 

[birdeen's call]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) Your interesting comment reminded me of something.

(2) Is the following "correct" English?

If I knew who I am, I would tell you.

Well, one "expert" who is super proud of his English says that

it IS correct. It means that the speaker actually does not know who

he is. (Something like the guy with amnesia in your post?)

I don't understand the person's argument. Do they say that

If I knew who I was, I...

may be said when the speaker knows who they are?

 

[freezeframe]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) Your interesting comment reminded me of something.

(2) Is the following "correct" English?

If I knew who I am, I would tell you.

Well, one "expert" who is super proud of his English says that

it IS correct. It means that the speaker actually does not know who

he is. (Something like the guy with amnesia in your post?)

It is a perfectly good sentence. You have to think of that statement in an existential sense -- who are you? I, personally, don't know who I am -- I don't have existential certainty about what makes me who I am. So, if I knew who I am, I would tell you.

 

[milan2003_07]

As for me I pretty much like TheParser's comment because what I can see below is almoist exactly what IU have been taught when studying English and what I'm using nowadays. "If I were ..." is Second Conditional and is used when you're speaking about something unreal in the present. In general it can be replaced with "If I was ...", but it's less formal and appears more colloquial. I'm used to saying "If I were ..." because it's more correct. When you say "If I were a game designer ...", you actually mean that you aren't a game designer now and in the second part of the sentence you're saying what you would do if your occupation were a game designer. I hope that's clear enough.

"If I become a game designer ..." means that probably you'll once be one and then you add what will hapen in this case. That's First Conditional.

Best

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


I believe that the following might be more acceptable:

If I were a game designer, I would create .... ("Correct" English)

If I was a game designer, I would create .... ("Popular" English)

As you know, the subjunctive refers to something that is not true:

If I were handsome (I am not handsome), I would have many girlfriends.

If everyone were nice (not everyone is nice!!!), this would be a

wonderful world.

Would the world be a boring place if there were only one language?

(There are, of course, thousands of languages.)

P.S. Of course, I do not know what you are thinking. The subjunctive

often refers to something that is impossible (for example, I will never

be handsome!!!)

But maybe you are thinking of something like this:

If I become a game designer, I will create ....

By NOT using the subjunctive, I believe that you feel that there is a

real possibility of your becoming a game designer.

If I became the president, I would change many things. (Of course,

I will never become president.)

If Mr.X becomes president (there is a real possibility. He is famous,

rich, and popular), he will probably change many things.