By Conditionals, Subjunctives

Thank you, Mr M. I have seen the kind of structure like the one below with the 'did' or 'did not' in the 'if' clause as an example of the second conditional? Can it be the subjunctive too -- that is, a counterfactual or hypothetical? I think the subjunctive is the one...

it's called the subjunctive mood.you have to use "were" when talking about an "if" or "as though" statement. it's a non factual condition, and therefore "were" must be used.the only time you wouldn't use "were" is when using the...

, (then) ... would have ... UNREAL, COUNTERFACTUAL *The past is sometimes called the past subjunctive in this position. Only the verb to be has a special form (were in all persons and numbers) in this position.Other combinations of tenses in these kinds of if patterns have no...

Could you come up with some clear examples wrt your problems? We're just moving around words here. Be specific. Use these for references (I consider the first the best): http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/conditionalintro.html http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional_3.htm

Hi, I was trying to brush up on my knowledge of 2nd conditionals and came to have these questions: I think 2nd conditionals encompass those 1) that are hypothetical yet possible and 2) that are unreal (thus impossible to be realized in reality). Then, I read it somewhere that the subjunctive...

Use even if in a clause with a subjunctive when the main clause has a conditional:Even if I knew him better, I wouldn't tell him anything about this.CB

Hi,I think you should use "was", but for another reason, not because it's not hypothetical.After all, you can say "If I knew where he lived, I would go right over there and set his house on fire", even though the fact that he lives somewhere is not hypothetical.So my...

No. This is not the reason. We borrow past modals into present time to give them a conditional flavor (conditional, not subjunctive) -- to express something more tentative than the present forms suggest. The idea is that it looks like a question you would be able to ask someone, with the...

Your sentence is type 2 conditional sentence. Hence the if-clause is in the past tense and the main verb is in the 'conditional' tense. However, the past tense in this is not a real past tense, it is a subjunctive. Therefore, this refers to present or future time. If you use...

You be here at 9 tomorrow to work on what is left.This is a form of the imperative mood-- a command.Yes, needed is in the past, and I believe that is how I edited your sentence in my previous post:2. He warned that his friend needed to get away from the flammable substance.He warned that the toy...