It's subjunctive history. You know, the subjunctive? The mood used when something may or may not have happened. When it is imagined.

Have you ever thought, headmaster, that your standards might perhaps be a little out of date? Of course they're out of date. Standards are always out of date. That is what makes them standards.

One recipe for happiness is to have to sense of entitlement.' To this she added a star and noted at the bottom of the page: 'This is not a lesson I have ever been in a position to learn.

f they'd been working with Alec Guinness, for instance, they wouldn't have known they were born if they'd not towed the line!

I'm for the freedom of expression, given that it will be under strict control.

Of course my standards are out of date! That's why they're called standards.

Standards are always out of date. That's what makes them standards.