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English 1b3 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Counterfactual
I wondered if I was/were gonna be late today. I arrived at 9.30, so I was late.
Why or why not does this require the subjunctive? (He was late, so the if clause is counterfactual.)
Thanks
Why or why not does this require the subjunctive? (He was late, so the if clause is counterfactual.)
Thanks
Top answer
Before we get into the substance of your question, let me just remark briefly that "gonna" is very casual and the subjunctive is comparatively very formal. Having both in the same sentence is a bit inconsistent, to put it mildly. Your sentence contains an indirect question (also called 'embedded question'): Was I going to be late?
- Before we get into the substance of your question, let me just remark briefly that "gonna" is very casual and the subjunctive is comparatively very formal.
- Having both in the same sentence is a bit inconsistent, to put it mildly.
- Your sentence contains an indirect question (also called 'embedded question'): Was I going to be late?
- Questions are, in their direct form, never in the subjunctive, so there is no reason to make them so when they are embedded in a larger structure that reports them.
- " ) Therefore, I wondered if I was going to be late.
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1 Answers
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Before we get into the substance of your question, let me just remark briefly that "gonna" is very casual and the subjunctive is comparatively very formal. Having both in the same sentence is a bit inconsistent, to put it mildly.
Your sentence contains an indirect question (also called 'embedded question'): Was I going to be late? Questions are, in their direct form, never in t
Your sentence contains an indirect question (also called 'embedded question'): Was I going to be late? Questions are, in their direct form, never in t
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