student asking question

What does 'as it were' mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"As it were" means in a manner of speaking, in a way, in some way or other, etc. Basically it is a phrase that is not supposed to be taken literally. In the video, he says that the memory circuits in the brain become water-logged. He does mean it in a literal way, but he is painting an idea in your head to help you understand what he means. Ex: He was drowning in sorrow, as it were.

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