In a conditional statement why does we say, " If he were to walk again, I would call it a miracle" instead of " If he was to walk again, I would call it a miracle"

Question

anonymous · Answer

Why do we*

wach · Answer

The were-vs-was thing is kind of an archaic grammar rule. We're using an 'if' clause, which requires the past tense of 'to be' to be in 'they' or 'were' form. 
Whenever you see that type of question, just pretend you're the Queen of England, or someone who uses that type of archaic speech: 
"Were it a beautiful day, I would put on my breeches and take a walk in the tea garden,"
"Were it the 1700s, you would surely get your head chopped off for that!" 
"If he were to walk again, I would call it a miracle,"

It's kind of a weird rule, but English grammar is pretty bizarre. Just pretend you're the Queen of England ;)

anonymous · Answer

Thank you for making English a bit more reasonable

anonymous · Answer

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/subjunctive-verbs-was-i-were.aspx

anonymous · Answer

that website is rich with grammar tips

anonymous · Answer

you can also download the audio format via itunes

wach · Answer

Hehe ^_^

anonymous · Answer

wach, reply to my post with more weight