Questions tagged [subjunctive-mood]
Questions regarding the subjunctive verb mood
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Consecutio modorum: Do “that” clauses follow an irreal subjunctive in the parent clause?
Does English have a “sequence of moods” rule? Should the blanks be filled in by was or were?
If we knew that it ___ raining, we would also know that the
street ___ wet.
That is, are the irreal ...
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2answers
103 views
Is it correct to say 'I wish some magic happens'? [closed]
Another read I come across in which a guy has written, "I wish you could see that young restless orphan who has no house to live in, none to get food from, whose pshychological centre has been ...
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1answer
32 views
Is 'would have' always the third conditional?
a. No Stone Age ten-year-old would have been living on tender foods like modern potato chips, hamburgers, and pasta. Their meals would have required far more chewing than is ever demanded of a modern ...
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1answer
50 views
Is “Had you anything”, as a whole sentence, grammatically correct? [duplicate]
I saw someone said "Had you anyone specific in mind" in an old English drama. How am I supposed to understand this sentence?
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1answer
42 views
Should V.S May in subjunctive mood
I was doing a grammar exercise the other day and was confused by the key to this question.
He’s working hard for fear that he _____.
should fall behind
fell behind
may fall behind
would fallen behind
...
2
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1answer
52 views
Sequence of Moods (Subjunctive)
I asked a question a while ago
("If I asked, would she say it were/was time?" Past Vs. Subjunctive) about “sequence of moods” whose top answer read,
Fowler says the past simple is used in ...
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0answers
19 views
The Present (Concessive) Subjunctive (Whether/If It Be) in Past Tense Cases
Did the present, concessive subjunctive (“if it be the case”; “whether it be the case”) ever have a place in past-tense sentences?
To my understanding, the subjunctive “were” and the conditionals in ...
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1answer
49 views
Should it be “didn't think it was” or “didn't think it were”?
I know that scenarios contrary to fact should be in the subjunctive mood, but ones that we are uncertain of can use past tense. For example, "If I were you..." vs "I don't know if I was ...
2
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1answer
54 views
Shall & Should & the “Mandative Subjunctive”
I came across this distinction between shall and will in Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage:
That-clauses after intend or intention, desire, demand, be anxious, &c., have shall & ...
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1answer
59 views
Anyone would think he owns the place
Consider these sentences, please:
You would think he is a good father, but he isn't.
Anyone would think he owns the place, from the way he talks! (he doesn't own)
Can I replace the indicative verbs ...
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3answers
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Past Subjunctive Sentence
If we started now we would be in time (but we cannot start now)
This is an example sentence in my grammar book for past subjunctive used after If. The sentence sounds to me a suggestion rather than ...
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2answers
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Which of these sentence is correct? subjunctive or not?
“Unless he be mean, I will help him.”
“Unless he is mean, I will help him.”
Do we use the subjunctive mood? What are the verbs that require this mood? Is “unless” always followed by this mood?
(Not a ...
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3answers
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Subjunctive Mood in Past Tense, Historical, Narratives
I have a question about use of the subjunctive in past tense narratives.
The quoted passage is from Keith Thomas’s Religion and the Decline of Magic, a sort of cultural history of England in the ...
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19 views
Subjunctive Conditionals in the Past Tense
Is a sentence such as the one that follows grammatical and logical:
I was worried I would have lost a letter grade if I were to hand in the paper late.
I know the subjunctive, being a mood, can be ...
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18 views
Subjunctive and Ellipsis/Syllepsis
Reading Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, I came across this sentence under “subjunctive mood:” “It was as if Sally were disturbed in some way and was translating this disturbance into the ...
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Second-Level Conditional and the Subjunctive
Does the second-level conditional such as, “If I studied harder, I would do better on the test,” derive from the subjunctive? Or does it belong to its own “tense” (or perhaps “mood”) in the English ...
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Are the teachers' answers to this assignment wrong?
I answered this assignment to the best of my abilities, but I feel the "official" answers are incorrect in some places. It's a multiple choice questionnaire.
I am sure that Huston Rockets ___ the ...
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1answer
48 views
Irrealis “were” following “as if”
Is the subjunctive “were” in the sentence, “He seems as if he were spell-bound,” construed as counterfactual? Does it always preclude truth, or does it only here suggest that it was highly improbable ...
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“if… were to…” form can only be used with unlikely but “possible” conditions, not for “impossible” conditions?
I am confused over the difference using "were to" and past forms in conditionals.
Was told that "were to" is only for unlikely but "possible" conditions but past form is for impossible/fantastical.
...
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1answer
57 views
Subjunctive after certain verbs
I remember a grammatical rule when I learned English that some verbs such suggest, assume, suppose, and so on, require verbs after them be in subjunctive form. For examples,
We suggest that she be ...
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23 views
You'd rather us be dead
You'd rather us be dead
How should this sentence be analyzed and parsed?
Is it different from "You'd rather we were dead"?
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How can I describe an assumption of a past event? [closed]
Assume that Alice took an exam last week and she got its result yesterday. So she knows whether she passed the exam or not.
Now here is Bob. He does not know the result of Alice's exam yet. And Bob ...
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3answers
93 views
“Were to have” vs. “had” / conditionals in reported speech
Scenario:
I, Paul, arrive at my office in the morning, only to find I have been given an assignment I will definitely have to work overtime to finish today (that's the deadline) without an assistant. ...
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27 views
When to use 'would' properly in a novel
I am a little confused about the usage of 'would' in fiction-writing/translation.
So, here's a very simple example that confuses me.
"Why did you say that?" she asked. -- (my version)
"Why would ...
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30 views
Can subjunctive mood come after the adjective 'customary?'
It's from a standard test and they do not reveal their test item so I can't remember the exact sentence itself but it was like as follows.
It is customary that the winner ________ a bottle of milk in ...
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Is “was” in the subjunctive mood here, needing to be changed to “were”?
My question pertains to the following:
Mother knocked on the door because she said the bell might wake up the baby if he was asleep.
Should was be changed to were here? Thanks!
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139 views
Again, “if it wasn't” or “if it weren't”?
I have read a lot of information about this topic, but I still don't know why my book says that the answer is "wasn't" in the following sentence:
If the driving test ___________ so difficult, there ...
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0answers
35 views
Why is “were” used in the highlighted relative clause?
Thank you for taking interest in this question. I have attached below the context of the clause in question to help your understanding.
A full version of the question would be: Why were, instead of ...
3
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2answers
131 views
Does the highlighted sentence use the Subjunctive mood?
I cannot fathom why were is used in the below highlighted sentence. Why can it be used in this way? I have got suggestions that this sentence is typical of the subjunctive mood to hypothetically ...
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42 views
A question regarding “Doe behaves as if he was / is the principal.”
I got a few questions regarding this sentence: "Doe behaves as if he was / is the principal." I know that if the speaker chose "was," it means the speaker knows Doe is not the principal. Now, ...
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Uncommon subjunctive inversion in a negative clause in the pluperfect: “had not millions been swept away”
Voters in 2008 would have seen he didn’t measure up then, had not millions been swept away with emotion and wish-fulfillment. (source)
This line reads odd even jarring to me with a weird inversion ...
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1answer
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Is subjunctive usage justified here?
Context: One (younger one) of the father's sons furtively watches his dad trying to do a mediocre enough back flip but he generally never ever has tried doing it, couple of seconds later his older ...
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Which tense should I use in the following sentence
I would be very happy in my job if I earned a large salary
I will be very happy in my job if I earn a large salary
I would be very happy if I earn a large salary
I guess the first sentence is ...
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0answers
19 views
It seems unlikely that… plus subjunctive?
So I'm writing a piece that includes the sentence
It seems highly unlikely that every professional psychiatrist were/would be a puppet of the pharmaceutical industry.
The problem is, I can't ...
2
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1answer
53 views
Shakespeare’s Subjunctive
Shakespeare’s Macbeth famously says, “If it were done, when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well it were done quickly,” which I rearranged, according to my understanding, as, “‘Twere well it were done quickly, ...
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1answer
71 views
“will have to” in a past tense clause
We decided that we would have to stay at home.
We decided that we will have to stay at home.
Which one of the above is right? My grammar knowledge told me the first one, but how do we ...
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0answers
28 views
Usage of “expectation that” + to be
I was writing something recently and was troubled by this specific use of expectation that + to be. I ended up not being sure which of the possibilities below are grammatically acceptable in written ...
2
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1answer
63 views
Can a verb inside an “it's possible that”-clause governing an if-clause be in the subjunctive/bare infinitive form?
An ESL student of mine wrote:
If they don't act quickly, it's possible that new diseases appear.
I could mark it as 'off style' on the grounds that [will] is the usual tense for said verb but I ...
0
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1answer
58 views
word usage in academic writing - possesses, beyond, ability [closed]
Could you help me to check if this sentence is ok?
Beyond having similar osmosis potential to polymer sponges, it is desirable that the covering material possesses the ability of being dispersed by ...
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0answers
200 views
“Be allowed” vs “is allowed” [duplicate]
Which of the following is grammatically correct?
It is important that the bandwidth, which controls the function, be allowed to vary...
or
It is important that the bandwidth, which controls the ...
0
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1answer
66 views
omission of should in that clause
I know that the following sentences are both correct with and without "should."
It is strange that he should be angry.
It is strange that he be angry.
How about these?
It is strange that he should ...
0
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1answer
60 views
A literary structure
Prais’d be the fathomless universe,
For life and joy, and for objects and knowledge curious,
Does the first sentence means "praise is for fathomless universe"? Is it an old structure?
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How can there be any indicative if-clauses?
As far as I know, if-clauses always describe theoretical situations. Sometimes the theory is very obvious and self-evident, but it remains a theory. So how can we use the indicative in if-clauses all ...
0
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1answer
72 views
Was v were, subjunctive or not [duplicate]
I have tried researching this topic on grammarly and on this website ("Was" or "were" in subjunctive clauses), but still am unsure.
Which is correct?
His gaze turned up, as if ...
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82 views
Opportunities such as this didn't come everyday. Is this subjunctive mood?
I found this sentence in the Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary when I was looking up the word"such". Is this sentence in subjunctive mood? If so, is this sentence trying to stress ...
2
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2answers
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What form is the “be” in “be that as it may”?
I have a feeling that this may be the dreaded (at least for me) subjunctive. But I'm really hoping it can be analyzed as the imperative instead. I am hoping I can use this expression to help explain a ...
0
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1answer
62 views
Why “past subjunctive” has this name if it is used for the present? [closed]
Why "past subjunctive" has this (confusing) name if it is used for hypothetical situations and wishes that take place in the present and the Past Perfect is the tense used in such contexts in the past?...
2
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1answer
90 views
Here There Be Dragons
The following is an excerpt from the August 12 New York Times.
What does the headline “Here There Be Dragons” mean?
Here There Be Dragons. But Can They Survive an Invasion of Tourists?
KOMODO ...
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2answers
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American English. Please help me identify the correct form of 'become' in the following sentence: [duplicate]
I'm sure we'd all rather I became a bit more self-sufficient.
Using became feels right, but I would appreciate anyone who could explain what's going on grammatically here. I think become is in the ...
0
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1answer
100 views
Which would be appropriate accepts or accept
thanks in advance for answering the following question. I am trying to figure out which one would be correct. I am in process of writing documentation on a technical subject and I was asked to replace ...
