Originally Posted By: Tromboniator
That quote from American Heritage Book of English Usage: "A usage such as If I was the only boy in the world may break the rules, but it sounds perfectly natural." is absolutely correct – for someone to whom it sounds perfectly natural. Damn, I always hate it when people generalize.


It's confusing advice. I think maybe what they mean is that "if I was" breaks the traditional rule, but it's part of standard written English.

Last edited by goofy; 04/25/11 05:08 PM.