if I was/if I were

Class is in session. The "if I was/if I were" debate tends to rouse a lot of discussion. I'm not sure why. I'm here just to inform you as to what is correct, not to discuss why. Those who actually debate the correct usage have too much free time.

Here's where the confusion starts, I believe. People will argue, "Well, isn't 'was' the correct form of the verb for the subject 'I'?" Why, yes it is, but here's the low-down. The key word in this phrase is "if." The word "if" implies something that is not happening or cannot happen. "If I were able to stand on my head, I could make people laugh." The sentence implies that I cannot stand on my head, not that I'd ever want to anyway.

If you want to impress people, use the correct grammatical form. "If I were" should be used when the situation is hypothetical or not possible. I cannot, in fact, stand on my head; therefore, "if I were able to" is the snobbishly correct usage.

That being said, if I were you, but I'm not, I would check back for tomorrow's post. See ya!