mood: I'm surprised that you should think that

Question

Hi: Accroding to English grammar book, the indicative mood states facts and subjunctive mood portrays all sorts of non-factual situations. But in "I'm surprised that you should think that", it is obvious that the speak already know how the person he or she alludes to thinks. Then it's a statement of fact. And my question is: since it's fact, why do we use "should" herre? The modal verbs are used in non-fatual situations. Thank you.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Besides contrary-to-fact statements, the subjunctive mood is also used for wishes, commands, and a few other fossilized leftovers from the time when English had a fully inflected grammar. Read more here:

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/grammar_subjunctive.html

See the definitions (#2 and #4) of should:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/should?s=t

CalifJim · Answer

paris zhaothe indicative mood states facts and subjunctive mood portrays all sorts of non-factual situations.

The "should subjunctive" can portray facts. One way it can do this is to portray a fact as motivation for a psychological (emotional) reaction. This is done in a pattern of

SUBJECT + {BE} + PAST PARTICIPLE of a "psych-verb" (or related expression) + THAT ... SHOULD ....

Psych-verbs are verbs that express psychological reactions.

I'm surprised that you should think that.
She was amused that you should think that.
They are disgusted that Tom should say something like that.
We are angry that the committee should decide in favor of management.

should have is also used. It emphasizes that the action that motivates the reaction is in the past, but even so, all of the following could have been written with just should and the bare infinitive.

Lois was furious that George should have promised to pay for it.
The whole family was astonished that Susan should have married so young.
Laura is disconcerted that Henry should have made all those decisions without informing her first.
Sam found it bewildering that the voters should have chosen the least experienced candidate for the job.

Note that even the expression the fact that can take the "should subjunctive".

The fact that even his doctors should be so pessimistic about his condition was cause for worry.

CJ

mood: I'm surprised that you should think that

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