Page 61 - Grasp English B2 (Grammar Book)

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As if/As though

As if and as though have the same meaning and structure. They are used to talk about what a
situation looks like.
e.g.
He talked to me as if/as though he knew me, but I had never met him before.
She seems as if/as though she hadn’t slept for days.
It looks as if/as though it is going to snow.

After as if and as though, we often use the past tense with the present meaning. It means that the
comparison is unreal. A present tense, on the other hand, shows that we are talking about real and
possible situations.

Compare:
Your sister talks as if/as though she knows everything. (Perhaps she knows everything.)
Your sister talks as if/as though she knew everything. (But she doesn’t.)
Susie and Mike look as if/as though they know each other. (Perhaps they know each other.)
Susie and Mike look as if/as though they knew each other. (But they don’t know each other.)
Note 1: When the main clause is in the past tense, we use the past perfect after as if/as though
to show that a comparison is unreal.
She was very happy with the gift. She seemed as if/as though she hadn’t received one ever
in her life.
(She probably had received a gift before or we don’t know whether she had or not)

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