As if and as though

It looks as if it will rain, he acts as if he owned the place, she looked as if she had seen a ghost.

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As if and as though compare a situation with how it seems, or with something imagined. They mean the same; as though is a little more formal. They often follow look, sound, seem, feel, act, behave, talk and treat. The tense after them depends on whether the comparison is probably true or clearly not true.

Meaning	Tense after as if	Example
probably true	normal tense	It looks as if it's going to rain.
not true, now	past simple / were	He acts as if he owned the place.
not true, earlier	past perfect	She looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

Probably true: a normal tense

When you think the comparison is likely to be true, use the tense the meaning needs, as in any other clause.

It looks as if it's going to rain. Take an umbrella.
You sound as though you've got a cold.
It seems as if the meeting has been cancelled.
She looks as if she knows what she's doing.

Not true now: past simple or were

When the comparison is imaginary or clearly untrue, move the verb one step back: past simple, or were for be. The past form does not mean past time; it shows that the idea is unreal.

He acts as if he owned the place.
He doesn't own it.
She treats me as though I were a child.
Don't talk to me as if I didn't understand.

In informal English, was is common instead of were: as if I was a child. A present tense is also possible: He acts as if he owns the place. It makes the comparison sound less clearly untrue.

Not true earlier: past perfect

For an imagined situation before the time you are talking about, use the past perfect.

She looked as if she had seen a ghost.
He talks about Rome as though he'd lived there for years.
He has never lived there.
They behaved as if nothing had happened.

After a past verb

When the main verb is past, use the past for the same time, and the past perfect for something earlier. This is the normal sequence of tenses, not a sign of unreality.

He looked as if he was exhausted.
Her eyes were red. She looked as if she'd been crying.
Incorrect: She looked at me as if I am mad.
Correct: She looked at me as if I was mad. / as if I were mad.
The story is in the past, so the as if clause moves back too.

As if + to, -ing or a phrase

As if can also come before to + verb, an -ing form, a past participle or a phrase, with no subject.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then changed his mind.
She nodded slowly, as if agreeing.
He sat there as if frozen, staring at the screen.
As if by magic, the door opened.

Like, as if and it's not as if

In informal speech, like is often used instead of as if: It looks like it's going to rain. Avoid this in formal writing. Like + a noun, with no verb, is correct in every style.

It looks like rain.
Incorrect: It looks as if rain.
Correct: It looks like rain. / It looks as if it's going to rain.
As if needs a clause with a verb; like can take a noun.