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Anonymous Posted 9 years ago
Vocabulary

Be

"Poland's fiercely nationalistic ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) is very hostile to the powers that be in Brussels and sees the UK as something of an ally, one it will miss." (BBC.)

Is "be" subjunctive in the sentence above?

  

Top answer

Anonymous Is "be" subjunctive in the sentence above? Yes, but we native speakers don't hear it that way. We just know that for some strange reason the idiom is "the powers that be".

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous Is "be" subjunctive in the sentence above?
  • Yes, but we native speakers don't hear it that way.
  • We just know that for some strange reason the idiom is "the powers that be".
  • It's a holdover from the English of centuries ago.
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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AnonymousIs "be" subjunctive in the sentence above?

Yes, but we native speakers don't hear it that way. We just know that for some strange reason the idiom is "the powers that be". It's a holdover from the English of centuries ago.

CJ

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