Sunday, 13 September 2015

grammar - What is the grammatical structure of "would that it were"?

Would is "archaic" which means old and no longer used. People use "I wish" in place of "(I) would".



I wish I were more handsome.
I would I were more handsome. (archaic)



It is well explained in Merriam-Webster. Please click here.



a archaic: wished, desired



b archaic: wish for : want



c (1): strongly desire : wish —often used without a subject and with that in a past or conditional construction



(2)—used in auxiliary function with rather or sooner to express preference 

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