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In this scene (link) from The Big Bang Theory Sheldon corrects Penny saying she forgot to use the subjunctive:

Penny: Leonard, it's three o'clock in the morning! I don't care if Richard Feynman was a purple leprechaun who lived in my butt!

Sheldon: Penny meant "If he were a purple leprechaun. Penny forgot to use the subjunctive.

However, in the comments people argue about whether he was actually right or wrong to do that. I've tried to research the topic but all I found was more discussions and disagreement on the matter on other websites.

So which one is it? Should one use the subjunctive in this case or was what Penny said correct? Is it possible that both options would be grammatically correct but convey a different meaning?

tchrist
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NPS
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1 Answers1

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It depends what idea you wish to convey. The indicative, in this context, displays reality. The subjunctive, in this context, displays an unreal situation.

Richard Feynman is dead.

if Richard Feynman was a purple leprechaun...

if Richard Feynman, in realty, was/had been a purple leprechaun [instead of a physicist], he was lucky to win the Nobel Prize.

if Richard Feynman were a purple leprechaun

if Richard Feynman, at any time, in some alternative reality were a purple leprechaun [although we know he was not], the world would not know of quantum electrodynamics.

The distinction might be easier to see with another example:

A: I found a coin yesterday. It is 1,000 years old. But the coin dealer said he would only give me $1 for it.

B: If the coin you found was [in reality] 1000 years old, then he was trying to cheat you.

A: I found a coin yesterday. It is 1,000 years old. But the coin dealer said he would only give me $1 for it.

B[looks at the coin]: Hmm... It's 50 years old. If the coin you found were 1000 years old [but it isn't], then he would have been trying to cheat you.

Greybeard
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  • I think you've misunderstood the question given the examples you provided in your answer. This is not a conditional with if; it's the if that means whether, which goes by its own rules. So you have to read it as “I don't care whether* Richard Feynman were a purple leprechaun who lived in my butt!”* See my comment to Edwin and the link to counterexamples disproving his thesis. – tchrist Jan 01 '24 at 04:02
  • @tchrist If I understood Greybeard correctly his answer is exactly what I asked about! And, if my understanding is correct, both versions would be grammatically correct but "if he was a purple leprechaun" would not make sense in this case. Of course, I'm talking about trying to be (hyper)correct, what people use in real life is another matter. – NPS Jan 02 '24 at 17:20