"I wish my father were having the stuff" or "I wish my father was having the stuff" ..
"And what if I wish my father having the stuff", is that bring different time definition? Thank you..
-
1"having the stuff" doesn't sound right.– BarmarJul 15, 2018 at 3:05
-
having this stuff.. no problem right?– siti salJul 16, 2018 at 6:18
-
No. "I wish my father had the stuff". "were having" is used for past tense, like "We were having a good time at the party".– BarmarJul 16, 2018 at 13:56
-
'I wish my father was/were getting this stuff.'– Edwin AshworthMay 11, 2022 at 12:01
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
It depends on what you are trying to convey. If you wish to express an action or state as doubtful, imagined, desired, conditional, hypothetical, or otherwise contrary to fact, then you can use the subjunctive mood. (I.e. If I were rich, I’d buy a mansion.) Thus
the subjunctive mood signals a statement contrary to fact {if I were you}, including wishes {if I were a rich man}, conjectures {oh, were it so}, demands {the landlord insists that the dog go}, and suggestions {I recommend that she take a vacation}.
This information is excerpted from the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (5.124).
-
I edited this to put the quotation into a block quote (making it clear which part is actually from Chicago) and also added the section it was from. You could also just include the quotation in simple quotation marks if you don't like the block quote. Jul 15, 2018 at 2:50