In Subjunctives^x, Verbs^x

Hello Rotter,I would call the verb in the if-clause of your second sentence ("If he were...") subjunctive too. It would probably be more usual to say "he would be.." in the main clause.Best wishes,MrP

Hi,"have" is the "prescriptively correct" one, because it actually and grammatically refers to "languages".Now, the fact is that a lot of native speakers use the singular in those kinds of structures, because they make the verb agree with what comes before "one...

Ray is right about the tenses. A more normal context would be: He suggests that she (should) be the one who does it. should be or be are subjunctives implying an obligation ("ought to") and cannot be replaced by the verbs you suggested. This is the so-called putative should. Do some...

George Curme doesn't seem to agree with Palmer: --The past subjunctive is often used instead of the present indicative since the abstract principle is felt as more important than the concrete fact: I regard it as the saddest of things that a man should be allowed to bring up his son in...

It's not subjunctive. It's the modal use of need. Modal need can occur in non-assertive contexts. Modals never take the s in the first person singular of the present tense the way non-modal verbs do. In that way they resemble subjunctive forms, which are also missing the s. The...

Hi, I just got in trouble (again.) In exclamations and imperatives, is the reason for the wierd agreement situation that they are considered subjunctive, or that the verb (in the following sentence) is actually "hear," and "bark" is not really a verb? Hear the dog bark! ...

, (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

I thought I'd already posted a reply in this thread. Hmmm, I must have forgotten to hit the 'post' button. At any rate, my reaction was exactly the same as CJ's. However, I've heard a rumor from a handful of Brits that the infinitve version is sometimes used in the UK. I...

Your American colleagues must all speak the same dialect, but the dialect they speak is apparently not the same as mine. What part of the US are your colleagues from?- The doctor recommended (that) he lose weight. (lose = subjunctive)- The doctor recommended losing weight.- The doctor...