1 is correct, but 2 is incorrect.
3 is correct, but 4 is incorrect.
Possible revisions:
When I had a lot of money, I bought new cars. (implying that I now don't have a lot of money!)
Because I had a lot of money, I bought a new car.
#3 correctly uses the subjunctive form of the verb "to be" because the statement is contrary to fact.
#4 is incorrect because it doesn't use the subjunctive form of the verb.
1. If I had a lot of money, I could buy a new car.
2. If I had a lot of money, I bought a new car.
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Are both grammatical? For #1, there is no possibility of having a lot of money in the present. For #2, there was possibility of having a lot of money in the past. Is that right?
3. I wish I were a bird.
4. I wish I was a bird.
[is #4 acceptable on a written test?]
1 answer