calling Manhattan experts to help.

realizedream wrote:I wish to know the meaning of 'Past Subjunctive'. Manhattan SC says:-

'If you put your heart into it, you could be the winner'.- Past untrue condition. What does this mean? What is the person trying to say?

I just don't see how that is a past untrue condition -- it's a present untrue condition. It does use the past subjunctive -- you can't tell because the word put is the same in the present and past tense. With a different verb, it would be clearer: If I were better at explaining these things, I could make it clear quickly (but I'm not, so I can't).

It could also be a less-well-formed factual condition, trying to say that putting your heart into something opens up the possibility of winning; I would expect If you put your heart into it, you can be the winner. Having could in the second part of the condition makes it a less real possibility.

English conditional statements are a bit of a mess.