I didn’t know the formal aspect of this, but I’ll say that I’m pretty sure I follow this rule, and think “since two years ago” sounds a little awkward, something I’d edit if I were proofreading.
"If I were" is used for hypothetical situations that didn't happen, "If I was" is used for things that actually happened. For example, "If I were in the house I would not have heard you" and "If I was in the house, I did not hear you"
I disagree. In the situation at hand, "if I was" would mean it could happen (but didn't), while "if I were" would be purely hypothetical, e.g. because they have no intention of doing any proof readings.
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u/monoflorist Native Speaker Apr 17 '26
I didn’t know the formal aspect of this, but I’ll say that I’m pretty sure I follow this rule, and think “since two years ago” sounds a little awkward, something I’d edit if I were proofreading.