In Present tenses^x, Grammar^x, Subjunctives^x

Well, Velimir, some (native) speakers are very sloppy (or forgot their grammar lessons) and use the present tense instead of the correct subjunctive mood.. In formal writing, the authors are usually more careful to use the subjunctive. I have the feeling that subjenctive mood may eventually go...

Yoong Liat wrote: The teacher said, "The world is round." In reported speech, it would be The teacher said that the world is round. One of my English usage books says it can be reported as The teacher said that the world was round. ( was consistent with said in tense) What do you think? ...

New2grammar wrote:So you are saying the 'if' usage does not automatically make a sentence subjunctive? Can you give me a couple of examples in different contexts where 'if' is not subjunctive?Certainly, New2grammar:1. I showed him some pictures yesterday. If he liked a picture, he would nod.2. I...

Grammar Geek wrote:In the present tense, use were. He speaks as if he were the president. In the future, I'd use ... well, I don't know what this tense it called, but this: He speaks as if he were going to be the president next year. The would comes in like this: If he were going to be the...

Mary Ansell has a chapter on the subjunctive mood at http://www.fortunecity.com/bally/durrus/153/gramch09.html. One of the complications in using the subjunctive is the fact that, besides hypothetical condition clauses, which require the subjunctive, there are factual condition clauses that do...

Hi everyone!! I've got a problem. My grammar book would say "They are looking at me as if I were mad". I know I could use like instead of as if in informal situations, and I could also use was instead of were (informal again), but I'm confused about present tense usage where you should use the...

When we talk about a subjunctive construction, I think it is easier to understand it without the 'inserted clause, I would think' becasue that way one can clearly see the cause-and-effect relationship beteween the conditional clause and the main clasue. 1. If someone tells you that you may...

Do you agree that the subjunctive mood is only used in the following ways? A. Present subjunctive. -1. All verb forms are the same as for the present tense except in the third person singular. There, use the infinitive (without to). -I/you/we/they launch the shuttle. (present indicative) -He...

Hello Xavier, you're right of course: Communication is one of the tasks of language. The Grammar is "late": Language follows special patterns (word order, inflection, cases, conjugation, etc) - language has to follow those patterns as without them, communication wouldn't be possible. The only...

Hello This is a garbage-like posting written by a poor English learner who has been and still now is agonized by subjunctive things which supposedly underlie English collocations. My way of understanding English grammar The English language uses two moods (indicative/subjunctive) and two...