| Element | FORM/USE: INVERTED 'WERE' + 'TO' INFINITIVE, FORMAL |
|---|---|
| SuperCat | CLAUSES |
| SubCat | conditional |
| Lexical Range | N/A |
| Level | C2 |
| Cando | Can use 'were' with an inverted subject + 'to' infinitive, to introduce conditions in formal contexts. ► past simple |
| Corrected Learner Example | Were I to win this travel scholarship, the country of my choice would be Japan. (Switzerland; C2 MASTERY; 2001; German; Pass) Were you to compare people's views on animals to their views on food, you would find many similarities. (Sweden; C2 MASTERY; 1998; Swedish; Pass) Were someone to decide that he did not want to go to university, he would have to face the consequences of his choice. (Greece; C2 MASTERY; 2009; Greek; Pass) Were this suggestion to be put into practice, our town's personality would change completely from a small town to a port of call for a large number of visitors. (Greece; C2 MASTERY; 2003; Greek; Pass) |
| Uncorrected Learner Example | |
| Comments | Note this is instead of 'If' + pronoun + 'were to' infinitive, so it involves ellipsis and inversion. |
