Okay Grammarians. Here’s your chance. I can’t decide which is correct.
1. As if “not littering” were enough to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.
2. As if “not littering” was enough to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.
The more I read them the more I think I should go with- #3 choice-
Is just “not littering” sufficient?
or
“Not littering” isn’t the only thing necessary………
No way to dial a #1-800-Grammar line and find out which is correct.
It’s after eleven PM. The English teachers, working or retired, I know are fast asleep.
Surely someone can help me out with the proper wording of the title.
Maybe it will occur to me in the middle of the night.
Or just check out the sign and don’t worry about my inability to decide.
Shot near Rankin Bridge on Route 837.
I think littering is the least of the beauty problems at this particular spot.
My “grammar instinct” tells me that if it were me, I would use the “was”.
I would be interested to know what is correct.
Two are voting for the “were” due to it being subjunctive?
There’s a fourth option: choose a different photo. 🙂
Your suggestion is right on, sir. I think that I have better photos than that. The hour must have been late.
I say just check out the sign. I hope you didn’t lose sleep over grammar.
Hi Ruth
Congratulations! I have nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award.
cheers
Lorraine
Thanks Lorraine for your nomination for Beautiful Blogger Award.
Very sweet of you to send it to me. Thank you.
If the junk yard is fenced in it’s actually helping to beautify the rest of the area…by eventually crushing, and recycling all those rust buckets running up and down the road…Have to say though, I got a chuckle, when reading it brought to my memory the funniest “Church Sign” I think I’ve ever seen. It was hanging on the front door of a Jehova’s Witness Kingdom Hall and read: “No Soliciting”
Your church sign made me laugh out loud. Really funny Thanks
Maybe the sign is there to encourage you to leave your junk cars there instead of on the curb or in your yard?
Cars in the front yard are never nice. They should definitely let them rust out in the back!
I had to interview a client one time who lived in a double wide, had junk cars in the yard, along with hound dogs in the yard. Nothing wrong with double wides, it may be the only house some can afford but the visit was classic.
How about as if littering alone could make Pennsylvania ugly? No that’s not right.
Good one.
My grammar nerd instinct is saying were…but if I can’t figure it out, I change the sentence. I think #3 is a better option, too.
Or maybe just this:
“Oh, the irony!”
🙂
I think it’s were… http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/subjunctive-verbs-was-i-were.aspx
Thank you. That is good of you to research it.
🙂
I had the same question and it’s been bugging me, so your post made me laugh–and think, “Doggone it, I’m not alone! I just need to look it up!”
The ‘if’ MAKES IT SUBJUNCTIVE, SO
“WERE” IS INDICATED. WHAT FUN T BE OBSESSING OVER GRAMMAR… LOIS
I think I would use “were”.. but I have absolutely no reason why I’d choose that??
“Were”. However, “hello? might also work
My vote is for option #2.