Questions tagged [subjunctive-mood]
Questions regarding the subjunctive verb mood
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whether it <was/be> railroad bonds or equity stocks
An article titled "Here Are Warning Signs Investors Missed Before the 1929 Crash" has this paragraph:
Richardson says that Americans displayed a uniquely bad tendency for creating boom/bust markets ...
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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 ...?...
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Conditional without IF?
Here’s a quotation from “The Green Mile” (movie version):
You make a promise to a man, you shake his hand.
To put it another way, I believe it could be: “When / if you make a promise to a man, ...
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2answers
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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 ...
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1answer
45 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 ...
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1answer
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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"?
...
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4answers
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“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 ...
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1answer
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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-...
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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.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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2answers
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it’s important that all of that body <is/be> supported by acid, tannins, or both
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-...
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1answer
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“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 ...
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1answer
84 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 ...
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1answer
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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"?
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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, ...
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1answer
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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?
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2answers
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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 ...
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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 ...
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1answer
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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 ...
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1answer
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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?
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2answers
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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 ...
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3answers
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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'
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1answer
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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.
...
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1answer
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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 ...
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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?
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0answers
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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 ...
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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 ...
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3answers
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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 ...
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1answer
538 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..
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1answer
139 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 ...
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3answers
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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.
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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....
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1answer
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“…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 ...
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Is this a grammatically correct sentence in English and if so, why?
We will notify the Chairman immediately we become aware of the existence of any conflict of interest.
To me the above sentence should have the work 'should' after 'immediately' but I've had a couple ...
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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 ...
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1answer
215 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 ...
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1answer
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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." (= ...
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1answer
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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 ...
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549 views
If it were what I thought it was/were
my question basically deals with the subjunctive mood, and if I should indeed use it in this specific situation:
"It would have been interesting if it indeed were what I thought it
were/was".
...
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2answers
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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 ...
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1answer
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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
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2answers
324 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.
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1answer
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Which is more correct: “preferred that he do” or “preferred him to do”? [duplicate]
I would like to know which form of this question is “more correct” than the other:
What would you have preferred (that) he do?
What would you have preferred him to do?
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1answer
311 views
The omission of “should” in a clause sentence [duplicate]
I would like to ask if the sentence below is grammatically correct. If yes, could anyone that is familiar with this rule of usage explain how to use it and cover the complete usage?
It's a matter ...
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2answers
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Conditional clause
Yo, is this sentence correct? It's hard to find a guide that speaks directly to this use of the subjunctive:
I realized that this issue needed more active contemplation, were I to find any closure.
...
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1answer
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Can all base forms of verbs express wish?
My text book says that base form of verbs can make sentences whose meanings are wish, for example, in "God save the queen." or "Grammar be hanged."
If the sentence's subject is third person and ...
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synthetic and analytical forms (Subjunctive I and Subjunctive II)
I would like to know how often one uses the synthetic form in English language (about synthetic form, for example, one may see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_subjunctive).
Some example of the ...
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1answer
237 views
Present subjunctive with synonyms of lest
Many English speakers, especially those fond of classic literature, are familiar with the word lest. Standing in opposition to the modern proclivity for ignoring the subjunctive, lest requires that it ...
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1answer
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Help paraphrase this sentence in plain English: “He could scarcely have astonished and disturbed men more if he had actually set it moving.”
Copernicus ventured to assert that the earth moved. He could scarcely have astonished and disturbed men more if he had actually set it moving.
The word could makes the part in bold sound to me as if ...
