1. If I had a lot of money, I could buy a new car.
2. If I had a lot of money, I bought a new car.
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Are both grammatical? For #1, there is no possibility of having a lot of money in the present. For #2, there was possibility of having a lot of money in the past. Is that right?
3. I wish I were a bird.
4. I wish I was a bird.
[is #4 acceptable on a written test?]
1 is correct, but 2 is incorrect.
3 is correct, but 4 is incorrect.
Possible revisions:
When I had a lot of money, I bought new cars. (implying that I now don't have a lot of money!)
Because I had a lot of money, I bought a new car.
#3 correctly uses the subjunctive form of the verb "to be" because the statement is contrary to fact.
#4 is incorrect because it doesn't use the subjunctive form of the verb.
1. If I had a lot of money, I could buy a new car.
This sentence is grammatically correct. It is a conditional sentence using the past simple (had) in the if-clause and the modal verb "could" in the main clause. This sentence expresses a hypothetical situation in the present or future, where the condition of having a lot of money is not true at the moment.
2. If I had a lot of money, I bought a new car.
This sentence is not grammatically correct. The verb tense in the main clause should match the tense used in the if-clause. In this case, the past simple tense "bought" does not match with the past simple hypothetical condition "had." To correct this sentence, you would need to use a different verb tense in the main clause, such as the past conditional "would have bought": "If I had a lot of money, I would have bought a new car."
Regarding your explanation, you are correct. Sentence #1 expresses a hypothetical situation in the present or future, while sentence #2 refers to a hypothetical situation in the past.
3. I wish I were a bird.
This sentence is grammatically correct. It uses the subjunctive mood indicating a hypothetical situation or a desire that is contrary to reality. In this case, the verb "were" is used instead of "was" to express a hypothetical or unreal condition.
4. I wish I was a bird.
While some speakers may use "was" in everyday conversation, strictly speaking, "were" is the grammatically correct form for this sentence. In a written test or formal writing, it is generally preferred to use the subjunctive form "were" in this context. However, it's worth noting that the use of "was" instead of "were" is becoming more accepted in informal or colloquial speech.
To summarize, sentence #4 may be acceptable in some casual or informal situations, but in a written test or formal writing, it is generally preferred to use the correct grammatical form, which is "I wish I were a bird."