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IV. The Subjunctive Mood
Subjunctive I
Subjunctive I shows an action that is problematic but doesn’t contradict the reality. It also has an optative meaning [17]:
If the weather be fine tomorrow, we shall go to the country. I suggest that he do this work. Success attend you!
Subjunctive I coincides with the infinitive without the particle ‘to’. This form is used for all the persons:The Poles demamnded that Ivan Susanin show them the way to Moscow.
Subjunctive I is used in British English in simple sentences with an optative meaning , set expressions, slogans, oaths, imprecations [2; 139]: God bless you! So be it! Be it so! Heaven (God) forbid! Manners be hanged! Long live the Queen! Success attend you! Blessed be! Far be it from me to conceal the truth! Truth be told… God save the King! Suffice it to say… If it please the court… Be that as it may. Come what may. Happen what may! Perish the thought! Confound your ideas! May you be happy! Be ours a happy journey!In American English Subjunctive I is used both in simple and complex sentences as an equivalent of The Suppositional Mood:He ordered that we be present. The agronomist demanded that we water flowers every day. (Subjunctive I)
The agronomist demanded that we should water flowers every day. (The Suppositional Mood)
The Subjunctive I can be used in negative, continuous and passive forms:
The boss insisted that Sam not be at the meeting.
The company asked that employees not accept personal phone calls during business hours.
I suggest that you not take the job without renegotiating the salary.
Jake recommended that Susan be hired immediately.
Christine demanded that I be allowed to take part in the negotiations.
We suggested that you be admitted to the organization.
It is important that you be standing there when he gets off the plane.
It is crucial that a car be waiting for the boss when the meeting is over.
I propose that we all be waiting in Tim's apartment when he gets home.
Subjunctive II
Subjunctive II represents an action as problematic and contrary (unreal) to reality but this unreality is independent. It has two tenses:
· Present (homonymous with Past Simple) – expresses the action in the present of future
If only you knew everything!
· Past (homonymous with Past Perfect) – expresses the action in the past
I wish we had bought that car
Subjunctive II is usedin simple and complex sentences:
1) in a simple sentence (which is emotionally coloured) after the words “oh that!” (о, если бы!), “if only”, “oh, if”:
Oh, that I were free now!
If only it were true!
If only it would stop raining!
If only we could have stopped him!
If only I knew what to do!
2) in different kinds of subordinate clauses of complex sentences:
· in a subordinate clause after the expressions “it’s time” and “it’s high time”.
It is high time they arrived.
· in an adverbial subordinate clause of comparison introduced by the conjunctions “as if”, “as though”. The subordinate clause of comparison is used after the notional verbs:
He loved the boy as if he were his own son.
She knew English so well as though she had lived all her life in England.
The rules of the Sequence of Tenses aren’t observed in this kind of clauses:
She speaks of the book as if she had read it.
He looked at me as if I had gone mad.
· in a predicative subordinate clause introduced by the conjunctions “as if”, “as though”. In this case the subordinate predicative clause is used after the link-verbs look, be, grow, become, seem, feel, set, etc:
It was as if nothing had happened.
She looked as if she were ill.
· in an adverbial subordinate clause of unreal condition introduced by the conjunction “if”.
If it were summer now, I would go to the south.
If you had taken the medicine yesterday, you would be better now.
If she weren’t so absent-minded, she wouldn’t have lost the way.
If I saw him I would speak to him.
If I had known of your arrival I would have met you.
· in an adverbial subordinate clause of concession introduced by the conjunctions “even if”, “even though”:
Even if Sarah had married Larry, they wouldn’t have been happy.
Even ifit were true, he couldn’t say so.
· in indirect questions:
I don’t know if it were true.
· in an object subordinate clause after the verb “to wish” [17]:
I wish it were summer now. (present)
I wish you spoke some foreign language. (present)
I wish I had seen this film. (past)
I wish I hadn’t seen this film. It is so boring! (past)
Thus, in sentences with the verb “wish” the speaker or writer express the desire to change the course of events. Traditionally there may occur two forms of Subjunctive II after “wish”. The Past Subjunctive of the verb “to be” (were) for all the persons or The Past Indefinite of all other verbs is used to show an action simultaneous to that expressed by the predicate. “Was” is also possible here. It is typical for colloquial English:
I wish he were (was) with us.
If the verb in the subordinate clause shows the action is prior to that in the main clause Past Perfect is used.
In the following examples it is shown how to use different tenses with “wish:
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In subordinate clauses after “wish” the second person pronoun + would can show polite or impolite request depending on intonation;
I wish you would shut up! – Замовчали б ви! I wish you'd give her a message for me? - Не могли б ви передати їй моє прохання?
Wish + the third person + would can show a wish for the future, exclamation, irritation, anger:
I wish she wouldn't sing in the bath. – Коли ж вона припинить співати у ванній? I wish the music would stop. – Коли ж ця музика припиниться?
To express regret for the future action in the subordinate clause the modal verb could may be used:
I wish they could come to see me tomorrow. – Шкода, що вони не зможуть прийти й відвідати мене завтра.
Other structures may be used to express a wish or hope for the future:
I hope you will live for a long time. (Instead of “I wish you would live…”) – Сподіваюсь, у вас буде довге життя.
Sentences with “wish” are translated into Russian as “шкода, що” , “гарно було б, якби”, “хотілось б”:
· I wish he were here. – Шкода, що його з нами немає.
· I wish he were here. – Мені хотілося, щоб він був з нами.
· I wish he were here. – Гарно було б, якщо б він був з нами.
The subjunctive mood forms with had better, had best, would rather, would soonerare used in simple and composite sentences denoting wish, admonition, preference, advice. Very often they are used in a contracted form:
You’d better go at once.
You had best take note of my direction if you wish to make sure of it.
Had better + bare infinitive refers to the immediate future and is used to give advice or to say what the best thing to do in a particular situation is:
You’d better book a room beforehand. I’d better not tell you about this.
Had better may suggest a threat. It is not used in polite requests. Compare:
Could you help me if you have time? (request) You’d better help me. If you don’t, there’ll be trouble. (threat/order)
Had better is more emphatic than should/ought to, but not as emphatic as must:
You must see a lawyer. (strong advice) You’d better see a lawyer. (less emphatic than must) You should/ought to see a lawyer. (less emphatic than had better)
Had better refers to the immediate future, but the form is always past. After had better we use the infinitive without to: You’d better hurry up. We normally make the negative with had better not + bare infinitive: You’d better not bother me when you come. A negative interrogative form Hadn’t … better…?is possible: Hadn’t we better tell her the truth? Normal unemphatic short answers are as follows: “Shall I open the window?” “You’d better!” “She says she won’t tell anybody.” “She’d better not.” Had is sometimes dropped in very informal speech: You better leave.
Note that had better does not usually suggest that the action recommended would be better than another one that is being considered. There is no idea of comparison. The structure means ‘It would be good to…’, not ‘It would be better to…’.
Would rather/sooner (= would prefer to) expresses preference. When the subject of would rather is also the subject of the following verb, we use the following constructions:
a) would rather + present bare infinitive (present/future) I’d rather do my washing tomorrow. b) would rather + perfect bare infinitive (past) You’d rather not have taken that flight yesterday c) would rather + bare infinitive + than (+ bare infinitive) I’d rather watch a comedy than (watch) a horror film.
When the subject of would rather is different from the subject of the following verb, we use the following constructions: a) would rather + past tense (present/future) I’d rather Jane stayed here tonight. b) would rather + past perfect (past) [8; 133] I’d rather John hadn’t taken his father’s car yesterday.
In older English had rather was used in the same way as would rather. This structure is still found in grammars, but it is not normally used in modern British English [13; 469].