Questions tagged [subjunctive-mood]
Questions regarding the subjunctive verb mood
421
questions
2
votes
1answer
59 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 ...
0
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0answers
4 views
would rather hadn't stayed / not have stayed [migrated]
I think there is difference between these two sentences, but can't quite feel it. Could anyone tell me if there is indeed some distinction.
1) He would rather hadn't stayed for dinner
2) He would ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
American English. Please help me identify the correct form of 'become' in the following sentence:
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
votes
1answer
27 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
Make a guess about historic events
I am wondering what's the right structure to make a speculation about a past event. I have a GRE writing in which I've put forth a few speculations which could weaken the argument. I've tried to use a ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
The Using of Subjunctive Mood [closed]
cluster A:
I hope/pray he gets well.
I hope/pray he is found (for someone who has gone missing for example).
cluster B:
I suggest/recommend/demand/require/ask he come.
it's essential/important/...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
He promised him a noble title if Andalucia was/were conquered
I want to choose "were" because Andalucia hasn't been conquered yet - it's a hypothetical scenario calling for subjunctive. However, I see that "promised" is in past tense. If the sentence were: "He ...
0
votes
0answers
32 views
Correct usage of subjunctive concerning a wish
Here is the example I would like to ask a question about:
Since they moved into their new apartment, they have been very busy. Although they enjoy living in the city, they sometimes wish they ...
18
votes
7answers
672 views
How did “to wish that” come to hate the present tense in the subordinate clauses it governs, and why is it alone in this?
Inspired by this earlier
question, I've realized
that we have no canonical question addressing the stranglely one-of-a-kind special
grammatical rules demanded by the verb wish of its subordinate ...
1
vote
2answers
71 views
He wished he would have met her
I do know that the much better construction is "he wished he had met her a year before", but is the construction "he wished he would have met her a year before" acceptable?
1
vote
0answers
27 views
Difference between “I wish…<verb in past simple>” and “I wish…would+<verb infinitive>”
What is the difference of meaning between the 2 expressions below which use the subjunctive?
I wish he didn't speak so loud.
I wish he wouldn't speak so loud.
I cannot see the difference between "I ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views
Is it correct to invert, “If I could fly, I would …” into, “Could I fly, I would …?”
I know that, "If he should ask about me, ..." can be inverted into, "Should he ask about me, ..." But I am not sure if it works to invert, "If I could fly, I would ..." into, "Could I fly, I would ...?...
0
votes
2answers
80 views
Ellipsis related to subjunctive mood? [closed]
You Sunk My Carrier: How the Navy Could Sink China's New Aircraft Carriers
That means war. Here's how it goes down.
by James Holmes
National Interest.org
Although It is certain that an ...
1
vote
1answer
48 views
What is the sense of “Only God judge me”
There is a wall near my house where this phrase has recently been graffitied -
Only God judge me
My reaction to this (!) has been to realise that most similarly-constructed phrases I can think of ...
0
votes
1answer
42 views
double negative - no one ~ who hadn't also
No one would want to be famous who hadn't also, somewhere in the past, been made to feel extremely insignificant.
Is the sentence a double negative?
Is "who" a relative pronoun which modifies "one"?
...
0
votes
4answers
52 views
“if they were” is real condition or hypothetical?
If he wasn't going on the camping, he would stay home. (he might go to the camping)
If he weren't going on the camping, he would stay home. (he went to the camping and didn't stay home.)
The first ...
2
votes
1answer
58 views
May I ask for a little clarification on subjunctive and bare infinitive?
I have just finished reading an extremely long thread on the above mentioned subjects on this site: (https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/demand-request-suggest-that-bare-infinitive-subjunctive-...
-1
votes
1answer
29 views
Is this sentence right? If he had joined our team, we would win [closed]
Is thsi sentence right? If he had joined our team, we would win.
0
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1answer
49 views
How do I combine these 2 sentences by using the subjunctive mood?
I learned Chinese as a child.
I can write Chinese now.
If I want to combine these 2 sentences into one with the subjunctive mood, which sentence showed below is correct?
If I hadn't had learned ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
Why is “should” used in this phrase?
In a Catholic mass, this phrase is said:
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
As a non-native English speaker, I find the ...
3
votes
2answers
98 views
it’s important that all of that body <is/be> supported by acid, tannins, or both [duplicate]
A Forbes article -- apparently written by an American -- titled "How To Tell If A Wine Will Age" has this passage:
The other structural elements of body, alcohol, and sugar can also point to an age-...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
“was” as a past subjunctive
I'd like to know whether "was" should be treated as a subjunctive in the following:
a. If there were a 20-story office building without an elevator, those whose office was on the 18th floor would ...
0
votes
1answer
86 views
Past subjunctive
In the following sentence (from here), is it grammatical to use subjunctive were instead of are?
As emphasized in a joke attributed to American philosopher Morris Raphael Cohen (1880–1947), logic ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
A question about “as if”
I wonder whether the following sentence uses "as if" correctly.
David makes a desk as if it were made by John.
Does this sentence mean "David makes a desk which looks like one made by John"?
1
vote
0answers
72 views
Did English ever have a subjunctive mood?
Coming from this answer and comments under, I realized that all Germanic languages have only the present tense and the past tense. Many also have a full set of subjunctive moods.
To reduce ambiguity, ...
0
votes
1answer
79 views
What’s the difference between using “would ᴠᴇʀʙ” and “would have ᴠᴇʀʙᴇᴅ” in the “then” part of conditionals?
Is there any difference between:
If I were you, I would work harder.
If I were you, I would have worked harder.
And can we use was rather than were in both sentences?
1
vote
2answers
184 views
Is this imperative sentence wrong: “Make sure you wouldn't use the stairs”?
In making a list of school rules, one of my students wrote the sentence "Make sure you wouldn't use the stairs." I feel that using the imperative "Make sure" followed by the modal verb "would't" is ...
1
vote
0answers
274 views
It is important that they “are” or “be”?
I was reading Jeremy Harmer's book (how to teach), and i encountered the sentence "it is, therefore, especially important that they are both fully engaged with what is going on and also ready to ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
I have a question regarding English Subjunctive mood
When I turn the sentence below into
Subjunctive mood, which one is correct?
★Sentence I want to change :
*He is sad as he does not know that the problem has been solved
★Changed sentences (Which ...
-2
votes
1answer
2k views
If I was or If I were? Which one is grammatically correct? [duplicate]
If I wasn't single and I had a girlfriend.
If I weren't single and I had a girlfriend.
Could you explain the difference?
0
votes
2answers
71 views
Subjunctive mood and conditionals confusion
I know the type 2 conditional where you have to change thhe verb from the if clause to the simple past. However this sentence confuses me.
If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be enjoying the ...
2
votes
3answers
76 views
Should 'be' or 'is' follow 'that'
Which is correct and why?
'a proposal that the resolution be adopted'
or
'a proposal that the resolution is adopted'
1
vote
1answer
165 views
Is this use of “made” past tense or subjunctive tense?
I'm a senior Computer Engineering student, and I'm taking a required Ethics course this semester. We just wrote our first paper, and each of us had to grade the paper of another student in the class.
...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
Present Subjunctive differences
I am learning English and something hard (In my opinion) came up: Present subjunctive. I did a little of research and I came to know that we use this structure mainly for a suggestion, recommendation ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
Was vs. Were in the Subjunctive Mood [duplicate]
I am having trouble identifying the difference between the use of was and were. For example:
Sarah wishes she was/were more like mother.
Would it be were? If it is were, why?
2
votes
0answers
16 views
Is the Subjunctive Mood always a conditional statement? [duplicate]
I had exam and they asked: I would go to the library every day, if I ____ you.
Options:
were
was
I came to know upon reading that question was in subjunctive mood. So, my question is
what is the ...
1
vote
0answers
75 views
Why is “She requested that he raise his hand” the correct sentence, not “She requested that he had raised his hand”?
I'm reading about the subjunctive mood and i have trouble grasping the following sentence from https://data.grammarbook.com/blog.
Examples:
She requested that he raise his hand.
I have understood ...
-1
votes
3answers
97 views
Subjunctive mood (or not): If my girlfriend go/goes [closed]
I have been reading up on subjunctive mood, but I am having trouble seeing why this sentence is incorrect:
"If my girlfriend go to bed, I will play with you."
Here it is conditional, so could ...
0
votes
1answer
612 views
I wish my father “were having the stuff” or “was having the stuff”? [duplicate]
"I wish my father were having the stuff" or "I wish my father was having the stuff" ..
"And what if I wish my father having the stuff", is that bring different time definition? Thank you..
0
votes
1answer
157 views
Past continuous in a subjunctive mood sentence
I was doing some reviewing of the subjunctive mood when I stumbled on this:
In the that-clause, use a past tense form of the verb even if your
sentence has a present or future meaning:
I ...
15
votes
3answers
3k views
Your will be done or Your will will be done [closed]
So I have seen usages of "Your will be done" in the context when some higher authority is issuing orders but shouldn't it be "Your will will be done"? it makes more semantic sense than the former.
0
votes
0answers
42 views
Why is ‘I recommend her to speak to a lawyer’ wrong? [duplicate]
We'd recommend you to book your flight early.
Students are recommended to make an appointment with a counselor.
are correct, while
I recommend her to speak to a lawyer.
is wrong....
1
vote
1answer
37 views
“…We can only lose, and our love become a funeral pyre.” - distributed modal verb or subjunctive?
From The Doors, Light My Fire. The lines are:
"Try now, we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre."
I would never hold their lyrics up as great writing, but I have always wondered exactly ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
Usage of the subjunctive often? [duplicate]
I have studied English extensively, yet I haven't seen various forms of the subjunctive ever, for example the third person singular and the negative form. They sound so wrong in my ears. Are they (the ...
0
votes
1answer
235 views
Until + subjunctive [closed]
Help, please. I've been pondering on this sentece for half an hour:
I was determined to continue until the truth was discovered
Leave wordiness aside, does this convey the same meaning as "I was ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Can “some couldn't know” be used to console somebody?
A : "Hey pal, I don't think I can go on anymore. I feel people around me are much greater than me. I feel I'm useless and nobody cares about me."
B : "Don't worry. It's okay. Some couldn't know." (= ...
0
votes
1answer
42 views
Is the subjunctive always a verb?
I need a bit of help with the subjunctive mood here. I was reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream when I came across this line.
'Weele rest vs Hermia, if you thinke it good'
I was wondering ...
1
vote
2answers
123 views
Subjunctive questions
Do I need to add ‘that’? Is it neccesary?
She demands that he go to the mall.
She demands he go to the mall.
Which one is proper?
I thought that he was tired.
I thought he were tired.
There are ...
2
votes
1answer
4k views
Which is grammatically correct: “if someone was starving” or “if someone were starving”? [duplicate]
Which sentence is more grammatically correct:
If someone was starving on an island
If someone were starving on an island
0
votes
2answers
342 views
Subjunctive Mood/Mode Question
I am trying to understand subjunctive mood/mode. Would the following sentence be subjunctive? If I ever meet a sycophant, I will walk away.
