as if + NON-FINITE CLAUSE

‘As if’ means ‘as would be the case if’.

Here’s an example of the subordinators as if +  Verb-ing clause.

She studied the bracelet as if trying to estimate its fair market value.

Listen

‘trying to estimate…’ is a manner clause, it describes how she studied.

We could ask the question, How did she study it?  

C2 point 133 CLAUSES/comparatives is defined as:

‘as if’ + non-finite clause to introduce a second clause as a comparison.

In iWeb:

as if to _VVI

1 AS IF TO SAY 4770
2 AS IF TO PROVE 568
3 AS IF TO MAKE 484
4 AS IF TO SHOW 282
5 AS IF TO SUGGEST 238

They’re also made up of three different sizes as if to suggest a kind of perspective or landscape on the single plain.

Listen

6 AS IF TO KNIT 172
7 AS IF TO EMPHASIZE 167
8 AS IF TO REMIND 165
9 AS IF TO CONFIRM 160
10 AS IF TO UNDERLINE 152
11 AS IF TO UNDERSCORE 152
12 AS IF TO GIVE 146
13 AS IF TO ASK 142
14 AS IF TO ADD 114
15 AS IF TO PURL 109
16 AS IF TO ILLUSTRATE 103
17 AS IF TO TELL 103
18 AS IF TO KEEP 102
19 AS IF TO GET 98
20 AS IF TO SEE 91
21 AS IF TO IMPLY 86
22 AS IF TO TAKE 84
23 AS IF TO EMPHASISE 82
24 AS IF TO STRIKE 78
25 AS IF TO DEMONSTRATE 76
26 AS IF TO PROTECT 76
27 AS IF TO INDICATE 70
28 AS IF TO PUT 70
29 AS IF TO DRIVE 69

30 AS IF TO REINFORCE 69

  The Guardian

Zappa review – under the skin of the wild man of American rock

There’s perhaps a little too much telling us what a genius Zappa was without really letting us hear for ourselves; this perhaps also explains the stress laid on his ” classical ” compositions, as if to reinforce his serious-musician credentials.

31 AS IF TO COMPENSATE 65
32 AS IF TO ANSWER 61
33 AS IF TO GO 61
34 AS IF TO RUB 58
35 AS IF TO SPEAK 56
36 AS IF TO STOP 56
37 AS IF TO HIDE 53
38 AS IF TO LEAVE 53
39 AS IF TO MOCK 52
40 AS IF TO TRY 51
41 AS IF TO HIGHLIGHT 50
42 AS IF TO KISS 50
43 AS IF TO DRAW 48
44 AS IF TO AVOID 47
45 AS IF TO LOOK 47
46 AS IF TO LET 46
47 AS IF TO CLEAR 46
48 AS IF TO SIGNAL 46
49 AS IF TO REASSURE 45
50 AS IF TO SHAKE 43

_VVG

1 AS IF TRYING 1092
2 AS IF LOOKING 438
3 AS IF WAITING 370
4 AS IF USING 351
5 AS IF MAKING 319
6 AS IF SAYING 285
7 AS IF GOING 269
8 AS IF READING 232
9 AS IF TAKING 216
10 AS IF GETTING 215
11 AS IF SEEING 208
12 AS IF EXPECTING 204
13 AS IF ASKING 196
14 AS IF WATCHING 183
15 AS IF HOLDING 177
16 AS IF PLAYING 172
17 AS IF GIVING 170
18 AS IF SEARCHING 156
19 AS IF SPEAKING 156
20 AS IF COMING 152
21 AS IF TALKING 147
22 AS IF PREPARING 135
23 AS IF WALKING 134
24 AS IF WORKING 127
25 AS IF SEEKING 120
26 AS IF RUNNING 110
27 AS IF SITTING 107
28 AS IF SENSING 104
29 AS IF FOLLOWING 85
30 AS IF LISTENING 84
31 AS IF FLOATING 79
32 AS IF THINKING 74
33 AS IF KNOWING 72
34 AS IF FINDING 71
35 AS IF WANTING 70
36 AS IF ANTICIPATING 68

C1 vocabulary in the above:

anticipating, compensate, reassure, reinforce