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Sat 30 May, 2015 11:00 pm
Q: Jane's pale face suggested she should be ill, her parents suggested that she"have" a medics examination.
A: B is grammatically correct. The subjunctive remains in force even though it is likely the patient will follow the doctor's advice. To actualize the blood test with "has" would be telling an untruth. The subjunctive holds the notion of a suggestion in place. Thus does grammar make its own modest contribution to truthful speaking.
I don't see how this can be grammatical, please back me up with reasons, or any feedback would be appreciated.
@akurain,
Quote:I don't see how this can be grammatical,
It is grammatical. The subjunctive form 'have' is the right one.
@akurain,
Using 'have' is fine, but 'should' is not a word a native speaker would use in that context. Look up the meaning of 'should'. 'Could' would be the preferred choice as the parents don't know the person is ill. That is what testing would be attempting to clarify. Also, medics needs an apostrophe between the c and the s.
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