Use of; "If I was...", or "If I were..."
You are able to use both, "If I was..." and "If I were..", but there is a difference. Most people mistakenly think it correct in traditional grammar to say "If I were...". However, "If I was...", is said when relating to first person. i.e.
I - was
You - were
She/He/it - was
We - were
They - were
It should follow the above rules, UNLESS, you are speaking in subjunctive mood, in which case, "If I were..." would be the correct choice. For instance, when speaking of something unlikely, hypothetical or by wish you should use "If I were...".
Correct examples of both uses;
"If I was further on with my studies, I would do better." (It is very likely, in real time and has every possibility of becoming the real situation.) or "If I was going to be there next Friday, I would have said so."
Or,
"If I were you, I'd have done it myself." (This is hypothetic and you will never be that person you are telling, so it should take the second person to create the subjunctive mood.) or "If I were just 10 years younger..." (It won't happen, you are just creating the scene).
Hope this is helpful.
<<For instance, when speaking of something unlikely, hypothetical or by wish you should use "If I were...".>>
...or "If I was...", and there would be no difference at all. They are the same in hypothetical contexts.
This is true, but only as a tag, Johnny.
I did loosely use the term "should". As being hypothetic, is not always in the subjunctive mood. As, in that case you would have to "Garden-path" it with, "Hypothetically speaking. If I was..." which is the same as simply, "If I were...", which creates subjunctive mood, but you are not incorrect. Nevertheless, you shouldn't say; "Hypothetically speaking. If I were..." as it has a similar English language route of double negatives.
The thing with English language is there are always "Spin-offs" & accents/uses and people will always speak as they hear. This is only really "by-the-book" and let's face up to facts, you and I are clever enough to know, that there are not many people that speak by the book these days. (Just look at the changes in the English language, over the last 20 years, these books have to be kept up-to-date with how people speak not the other way around. Languages are alive with change and not anybody can govern that.)
Professor is usually abbreviated "Prof.", not "Proff." If we're splitting hairs and all ... there's only one F in Professor.
--If I was a rich girl--
(by Gwen Stefani)
I wish she was/were here.
If I was/were you/a rich girl.
Same difference.
The subjunctive is being phased out, and soon it will appear only in the formal register and a handful of idioms.
The subjunctive is perhaps being phased out, but it still sounds wrong to me when it is misused.
If I were a rich girl - this sounds better.
I wish she were here - this sounds better.
using "if" ALWAYS makes the mood subjunctive, Mr Professor.
<<The subjunctive is being phased out, and soon it will appear only in the formal register and a handful of idioms.>>
The subjuntive mood itself is not being phased out--it will always remain. What is being phased out in modern English is the distinctive use of 'were' for I and he/she/it that is being phased out.
For instance, we no longer say "If I be there on time...", but rather "If I am there on time...", yet BOTH sentences are still in the subjunctive mood.
'Subjunctive' is a mood, not a type of conjugation.
<<"If I was further on with my studies, I would do better.">>
No! You can use "was" for "If I was further on with my studies, I would have done better" in an indicative sense.
But a better version of your sentence is "If I were further on with my studies, I might do better."
Re: the use of "was" in a subjunctive sense, it's true that it's being used more and more colloquially, but it's still incorrect in formal standard English (ie. a teacher will mark it wrong if it's written in a paper), and still not used in educated parlance.
You know what, I take that back! I just read up on this page:
http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/061.html
"Remember, just because the modal verb 'would' appears in the main clause, this doesn’t mean that the verb in the if clause must be in the subjunctive if the content of that clause is not presupposed to be false: 'If I was (not were) to accept their offer—which I’m still considering—I would have to start the new job on May 2. He would always call her from the office if he was (not were) going to be late for dinner.'"
Sorry for doubting.