Transcript THE SUBJUNCTIVE

THE SUBJUNCTIVE
ETSI de Telecomunicaciones
English
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
MOOD: Notionally, mood is the attitude
we have towards the contents of our
sentences. Formally, it is the set of
linguistic forms we use in order to
express these attitudes.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
According to the notional description, there are
three categories of meaning:
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Matters that deal with facts: Indicative.
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Commands: Imperative.
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Unreality, supposition, wish, doubt and
uncertainty: Subjunctive.
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WIERDO:WISHES,IMPERSONAL EXPRESSIONS, EMOTIONS
REQUESTS, DOUBT OR DENIAL, ÓJALA
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
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Realisation forms: Present: bare
infinitive. Past: same as Indicative
(except TO BE, where the Simple Past
tense is “were” for all the grammatical
persons).
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
USES
In the main clause
To express a wish
e.g.: ‘So be it!’
or a prayer
e.g.: ‘Heaven help us!’.
Mainly fixed expressions.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
More important:
IN THE SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
1.After a main clause expressing a
wish or command, a preference or
necessity:
e.g.: The Board requires that the Head
of the Department be in the Committee
Room at eight.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
2.Subordinate clauses expressing a condition
that is contrary to fact, as opposed to a
condition in which nothing is supposed to
be factual or not:
e.g.:
Were he wiser, he would test the results before.
If she was in her office, she did not answer me.
If she were in her office, she would answer you.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
3.Subordinate clauses expressing a condition
suggesting doubt as to a thing being true to
fact. Sometimes, the Indicative is used in
fairly similar cases, but if the emphasis is
put on the conjunction IF, it is preferable to
use the Subjunctive.
e.g.:
If what you say be true, we’d better be careful.
If he is wise, he will accept the suggestion.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
4.In a subordinate clause expressing a doubtful
or a contrary-to-fact supposition. This clause
is often introduced by SUPPOSE or IMAGINE.
e.g.:
Suppose the system fail, I’m not sure I want to
try.
Imagine he were right, would you take his
opinion into account?
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
5.In subordinate clauses after the expressions AS
IF / AS THOUGH when we indicate unreality,
improbability or doubt in the present (time).
Though the introductory verb appears in the
Present tense, the Past Subjunctive is used. We
can use a Past Perfect to refer to a real or
imaginary action in the past.
e.g.:
He acts as though he were sure about the system
behaviour.
He acts as though he had got the expected results.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
6.Clauses beginning with THOUGH,
expressing an action or situation
that will probably not take place or
is probably not true.
e.g.:
Due to external conditions, though the
antenna be satellite-borne, it will not
receive the signal without distortion.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
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Special constructions with the Past
Subjunctive:
The Past Subjunctive is used after
WOULD RATHER, WOULD SOONER and
IT’S (HIGH) TIME.
He’d sooner you left the computer
disconnected.
It’s (high) time he were in class.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
However, we use the plain infinitive with
would rather/sooner if the subject of the
main verb is the same as for the second.
He would rather work with a PC than a Mac.
Instead of would rather/sooner, we can
use PREFER with the full infinitive (or with
Obj.+Inf. when both subjects are different).
He would prefer (him) to work with a PC than
a Mac.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
The expression IT’S TIME can be
followed by the Past Subjunctive
(meaning it’s too late), by the full
infinitive or For+Obj.+Inf. (meaning
the time has arrived).
It’s (high) time you were here.
It’s (high) time (for you) to begin.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
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“FALSE SUBJUNCTIVE”
Certain verbs take a construction including
SHOULD+Bare Inf. in the Subordinate Noun Clause:
consider, suggest, insist (on) (+gerund, that.... should)
recommend, advise (+gerund, infinitive, that.... should)
require, determined (and in the passive), agreed, demanded
(+infinitive, that.... should)
arrange, stipulate, be anxious (+for+object+inf., that.... should)
When the infinitive after SHOULD is BE, the modal
can be omitted, thus appearing to be a subjunctive
construction:
We generally require that modulation (should) be a reversible
operation.
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Link to the subjunctive!
http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/subjunctiv
e.html
http://www.ceafinney.com/subjunctive/
http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/tphillips/grammar/su
bjunctive_intro_english.pdf