Debpriya De Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Subjunctive
" If it be a sin to work hard then i am a sinner." Why do we use " be" instead of " is" in the sentence ? In mathematical problems why do we say "if x be a prime number and y be an odd number ".Why don't we say "if x is a prime number and y is an odd number."?
Top answer
The uses you quote are obsolete. I haven't heard them in the 73 years I've been around. Of course you'll find them in old books.
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The uses you quote are obsolete. I haven't heard them in the 73 years I've been around. Of course you'll find them in old books.
"Is" is the correct term these days.
(Personally, I've always liked the "be.")
"Is" is the correct term these days.
(Personally, I've always liked the "be.")
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