Author Topic: "As if" and "as though"--Is there a difference?  (Read 9901 times)

jhinx22

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"As if" and "as though"--Is there a difference?
« on: June 07, 2013, 12:48:51 PM »
Hello, sir.

Do "as if" and "as though" have differences with their use? When I posted these sentences, "Pray as though everything depends on GOD. Work as though everything depends on YOU", somebody commented that it should be "as if" and not "as though"..
« Last Edit: June 07, 2013, 10:00:42 PM by Joe Carillo »

Joe Carillo

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Re: "As if" and "as though"--Is there a difference?
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2013, 08:09:03 PM »
Practically all of the authoritative dictionaries today tell us that the conjunctions “as if” and “as though” are synonymous in the sense of “like something was actually so,” “as it would be if,” “as to suggest the idea that,” or “as would be true if.” Personally, though, I am stylistically partial to “as though” because I think it sounds more accepting of the stated presumption than “as if,” which seems to me to convey a somewhat weaker belief in that presumption.

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For this reason, I think your choice of “as though” for these two sentences of yours is perfect for their context: “Pray as though everything depends on GOD. Work as though everything depends on YOU.” It’s unmistakable that a believer in God is speaking here. In contrast, see what happens when “as if” in used instead for those two sentences: “Pray as if everything depends on GOD. Work as if everything depends on YOU.” Somehow, although both affirmative-sounding, these “as if”-using sentences seem to convey a hint of cynicism towards the stated presumptions.

This isn’t to say, though, that there are no contexts in which “as if” and “as though” are not perfectly equivalent. Consider the following three sets of examples:

“She rushed out of the house as if goblins were chasing her.”
“She rushed out of the house as though goblins were chasing her.”

“It looked as if he had not slept all night.”
“It looked as though he had not slept all night.”

“They looked at us as if we were from another planet.”
“They looked at us as though we were from another planet.”

I think you’ll agree with me that there isn’t any perceptible difference in meaning between the sentences in each of those pairs.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2022, 01:55:48 PM by Joe Carillo »

jhinx22

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Re: "As if" and "as though"--Is there a difference?
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2013, 02:49:05 PM »
I really thank you, Sir, for that wonderful answer.