Fine-Tuning, Taking Requests Again

Mood in verbs refers to one of three attitudes that a writer or speaker has to what is being written or spoken. The indicative mood, which describes most sentences on this page, is used to make a statement or ask a question. The imperative mood is used when we're feeling sort of bossish and want to give a directive, strong suggestion, or order:

Get your homework done before you watch television tonight.
Please include cash payment with your order form.
Get out of town!
Notice that there is no subject in these imperative sentences. The pronoun you (singular or plural, depending on context) is the "understood subject" in imperative sentences. Virtually all imperative sentences, then, have a second person (singular or plural) subject. The sole exception is the first person construction, which includes an objective form as subject: "Let's (or Let us) work on these things together."

The subjunctive mood is used in dependent clauses that do the following: 1) express a wish; 2) begin with if and express a condition that does not exist (is contrary to fact); 3) begin with as if and as though when such clauses describe a speculation or condition contrary to fact; and 4) begin with that and express a demand, requirement, request, or suggestion. A new section on the uses of the Conditional should help you understand the subjunctive.

She wishes her boyfriend were here.
If Juan were more aggressive, he'd be a better hockey player.
We would have passed if we had studied harder.
He acted as if he were guilty.
I requested that he be present at the hearing.
The subjunctive is not as important a mood in English as it is in other languages, like French and Spanish, which happen to be more subtle and discriminating in hypothetical, doubtful, or wishful expressions. Many situations which would require the subjunctive in other languages are satisfied by using one of several auxiliary verbs in English.

- Conditional consists of two parts: if-clause and main clause

- four types of conditionals

- Propositions depend on each other

► deductive: the result in the main clause is provable; types I-IVa

→ if A then B [the principle (A) leads to the conclusion (B)]

► inductive: Things happen again and again and on the basis of observation we can

conclude that another case of A will lead to another case of B (always true); type IVb

- Comma-rule: You must use a comma if the if-clause comes first and the

main-clause follows. If the main-clause comes first, you needn’t use a

comma.

Four types of conditional

I. real condition

if-clause main clause

present will (or other modal)

If you park your car there, the neighbours will complain.

à used for real or possible situations



IIa. unreal condition

if-clause main clause

past would (or other modal)

If you parked your car there, the neighbours would complain.

à used for unreal or less probable situations



IIb. stronger unreal condition

if-clause main clause

were + infinitive would (or other modal)

If you were to park your car there, the neighbours would complain.

à to be is always conjugated as were



III. contrafactual condition

if-clause main clause

past perfect would (or other modal) + perfect inf.

If you had parked your car there, the neighbours would have complained.

à hypothetical result of a past situation



IVa. implicational condition

if-clause main clause

present present or must + infinitive

If this is grammar class, it is/must be Tuesday.

past past or must + perfect infinitive

If you parked your car there, the neighbours complained / must have complained.

IVb. real condition

if-clause main clause

present present

If (= whenever) you park your car there, the neighbours complain.

past past/would + infinitive

If (= whenever) you parked your car there, the neighbours complained/would complain.

Conditional: Ralf Becker


Introductory forms


Some alternatives for introductory forms: Type of conditional:

If you study, you'll be successful. 1, 2, 3, 4



Suppose / Supposing you study, you'll be successful. 1, 2, 3

In the event that you study, you'll be successful. 1, 2, 3

On the condition you study, you'll be successful. 1

In case you study, you'll be successful. 1, (2, 3)

Provided / Providing you study, you'll be successful. 1, (2)

Allowing that you study, you'll be successful. 1



Unless you study, you won't be successful. 1, 2, 3



Inversion
Should you study (=infinitive), you would be successful. 2, 3

Were you to study (=infinitive), you would be successful. 2

Had you studied (=past participle), you would have been successful. 3

Conjoined clauses:

Example: You don't study and you won't be successful. 1

Subjunctive vs. conditionals
The following formulaic expression takes the subjunctive and not the conditional:

It's (high / about) time … he came. * he would come.

he were here. * he would be here.

The following take subjunctive or conditional depending. The conditional is only possible if the verb is dynamic. And the subjunctive past is only possible with stative verbs.

If only he were here / *he came. * he would be here / he would come.

I wish he were here. / * he came. * he would be here / he would come.

The subjunctive is also used to describe what would happen if something were to be the case. But it is old-fashioned: If that be the official view, it cannot be accepted.

The were-subjunctive
The were-subjunctive (or past subjunctive) is hypothetical or unreal in meaning. It is limited to the one form were, and thus breaks the concord rule of the indicative verb BE in the 1st and 3rd person singular of the past tense. The indicative form was is used in less formal style.

· If I were / was rich, I would buy you anything you wanted.

· Tim speaks quietly on the phone as though he were / was telling a secret.

· I wish the journey were / was over.

· Just suppose everyone were / was to give up smoking and drinking.