Was or were
"You are capitalizing El Atrevido as if it was a kind of nickname that everybody knew him by."
I got zero in grammar. I always have this tendency to write, as in the above sentence, "as if it were a kind of...". but then I always change my mind and write was. Heeeelp!
11 Answers
In regards to your original question:
"As if it were" is a hypothetical/contrary to fact condition [subjunctive] and not a declaration [indicative].
Subjunctive
"You are capitalizing El Atrevido as if it were a (kind of) nickname that everybody knew him by."
Indicative
"You are capitalizing El Atrevido because it was a (kind of) nickname that everybody knew him by"
In a more general sense, the verb "were" is used differently in the indicative and subjunctive moods.
Subjunctive invariable verb form across person and number in the present tense
Were I a fish I would swim through the ocean [hypothetical]
Were you a fish you would swim through the ocean [hypothetical]
Were we fish we would swim through the ocean [hypothetical]
Were he/she/it a fish he/she/it would swim through the ocean [hypothetical]
Were they fish they would swim through the ocean [hypothetical]
I was like a fish when I swam through the ocean [declaration]
You were like a fish when you swam through the ocean [declaration]
We were like fish when we swam through the ocean [declaration]
He/she/it was like a fish when he/she/it swam through the ocean [declaration]
They were like fish when they swam through the ocean [declaration]
If you were to use the past tense to describe a hypothetical condition then you would use:
Had I been born a fish then I would swim through the ocean..etc.
If I was you
If you were it
If it was me
If I were you
If it were you
If it were me
(Actually, it should be "If it were I," but only I know that; so say "If it were me" or you'll get laughed at.)
That might be a good way to think of it. Hypothetical would be another way. Like "If I WERE a doctor I would..."
The underlying situation in English is contrary-to-fact (not mere hypothesis/supposition). Consider any number to mathematical statements: one can quite reasonably (and correctly) say "If A equals B, then ...". This is a simple hypothesis (and the use of the indicative, suggests that the speaker/writer thinks that A does, indeed, equal B). "If A were to equal B", suggests that the writer/speaker does not think that they are equal but is willing to entertain (probably/certainly false) assumptions for the sake of the argument.
I would say "as if it were some kind of nickname..."
I would say:
"as if it were a kind of..."
¡Hola! Robertico:
I extracted these definitions from the Collins on-line dictionary:
Was vb (with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun as subject) be, (the past tense of)
Were vb be, (the form of the past tense of) used after we, you, they, or a plural noun, or as a subjunctive in conditional sentences,
[Were, as a remnant of the past subjunctive in English, were is used in formal contexts in clauses expressing hypotheses (if he were to die, she would inherit everything), suppositions contrary to fact (if I were you, I would be careful), and desire (I wish he were there now). In informal speech, however, was is often used instead.]
On the basis of those two definitions, I would choose "was" for the circumstances of your sentence construction.
I'd say "as if it were a kind of nickname". 
Let someone stated before the word were is used as a subjunctive for English. If you wish something WERE someway but it is not then use 'were'.
Was is used for things that are so. (The ball WAS red. I wish the ball WERE red).
Wow! So many good answers here! Thank you guys.
English actually does have subjunctive conjugation, and we use it in the conditional clauses and a few other places, but it is distinguishable only in a few verbs.
It is distinguishable in all verbs. The difference in morphology between the subjunctive and indicative is apparent in all verbs by the absence of the /-z/ phoneme in the third person present indicative.
Are these correct then?
If I was you
If you were it
If it was me
Man!!! Am I ever confused! I'm just going on what sounds good to my ears.
