0
Bob2010 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

A question abut subjunctive mood

Hi, everyone. Here is a conversation with which I'm deeply puzzled.

Howard: I really don’t want to recommend Paula Forster.

She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had my job.



Trish: But she is the best candidate, right?

If she isn't promoted, it could be seen as an unfair decision.





Why Howard doesn’t say like this--- ‘She won’t be satisfied until she has my job.’

‘She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had my job’ is an example of the subjunctive mood?

Why the subjunctive mood is used here?







  

Top answer

’ He can't say: She won't be satisfied because she hasn't yet been promoted. Bob2010 ‘She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had my job’ is an example of the subjunctive mood? No, it's an example of the present conditional.

— Cool Breeze

  • ’ He can't say: She won't be satisfied because she hasn't yet been promoted.
  • Bob2010 ‘She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had my job’ is an example of the subjunctive mood?
  • No, it's an example of the present conditional.
  • Would isn't normally used in subordinate temporal clauses beginning with until.
  • Bob2010 But she is the best candidate, right?
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

25 Answers
0
Bob2010Why Howard doesn’t say like this--- ‘She won’t be satisfied until she has my job.’
He can't say: She won't be satisfied because she hasn't yet been promoted.
Bob2010‘She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had my job’ is an example of the subjunctive mood?
No, it's an example of the present conditional. Would
0
0
Bob2010‘She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had my job’ is an example of the subjunctive mood?
It's neither subjunctive, nor conditional. It's mangled indicative. The correct indicative should be:

'She won't be satisfied until she has my job'.

The conditional would be:

'She wouldn't be satisfied, if she didn't have my job'
0
0
The author of the sentence might have confused "until" with "unless" with the latter indeed being a part of condition dependent clause.
0
0
I agree that there is some sort of mix-up between unless and until.

She won't be satisfied until she has my job. Indicative. I don't know why your example was written with the subjunctive.
She wouldn't be satisfied unless she had my job. Subjunctive. Hypothetical. Similar to this "second conditional":

If she didn't get my jo
0
0
CalifJimShe won't be satisfied until she has my job. Indicative. I don't know why your example was written with the subjunctive
Whose example? Mine? Mine says "indicative".
CalifJimShe wouldn't be satisfied unless she had my job. Subjunctive. Hypothetical. Similar to this "second conditional":If she didn't get my job, she would be
0
0
CalifJimShe wouldn't be satisfied unless she had my job. Subjunctive. Hypothetical. Similar to this "second conditional"
I am sorry, but wasn't that you in the neighboring thread who was thanked for this affirmation:
“In contrast, the subjunctive mood never contains the word "would", so there you have the difference.”?
0
0
rinoceronteI am sorry, but wasn't that you in the neighboring thread who was thanked for this affirmation:
“In contrast, the subjunctive mood never contains the word "would", so there you have the difference.”?
Yes. And why are you sorry about that?

The subjunctive part is in the unless clause, of course -- not in the main clause.
0
0
rinoceronteI don't know why your example was written with the subjunctive ... Whose example? Mine? Mine says "indicative".
No. Not your example. As usual, I'm answering the original poster's question, not commenting on anybody else's answers.

CJ
0
0
CalifJim
rinoceronteI am sorry, but wasn't that you in the neighboring thread who was thanked for this affirmation:“In contrast, the subjunctive mood never contains the word "would", so there you have the difference.”?
Yes.  And why are you sorry about that?  The subjunctive part is in the unless clause, of course -- not in the main cla
0
0
rinoceronteI'm still confused. In one thread you say that subjunctive mood never contains the word "would", and at the very same time in another thread you give a phrase that you call subjunctive and that does contain the word "would".
OK. Let me go over this again.

Here's what I wrote earlier in this thread:
______________________
0

Related Questions