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Ardorado Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Subjunctive
I have 3 questions with 3 examples.
If I knew it, I would tell you.
-why is 'knew,' pas-tense but 'tell' is not?
I wish I had told you.
-why is verb(such as 'told') past-tense when I use 'wish'?
She talks as if he had know her.
-why is 'talks' is not past-tense but 'known' is?
can someone please grammatically explain my queation?
thankyou
If I knew it, I would tell you.
-why is 'knew,' pas-tense but 'tell' is not?
I wish I had told you.
-why is verb(such as 'told') past-tense when I use 'wish'?
She talks as if he had know her.
-why is 'talks' is not past-tense but 'known' is?
can someone please grammatically explain my queation?
thankyou
Top answer
If I knew it, I would tell you. -- 'Knew' is a subjunctive verb form, not the past tense (they merely look the same); 'tell' is an infinitive verb form. I wish I had told you.
- If I knew it, I would tell you.
- -- 'Knew' is a subjunctive verb form, not the past tense (they merely look the same); 'tell' is an infinitive verb form.
- I wish I had told you.
- -- 'Wish' expresses something which is not.
- Your sentence expresses a wish for something that did not happen.
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1 Answers
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If I knew it, I would tell you. -why is 'knew,' pas-tense but 'tell' is not?-- 'Knew' is a subjunctive verb form, not the past tense (they merely look the same); 'tell' is an infinitive verb form.
I wish I had told you. -why is verb(such as 'told') past-tense when I use 'wish'?-- 'Wish' expresses something which is not. Your sentence expresses a wish for something that did no
I wish I had told you. -why is verb(such as 'told') past-tense when I use 'wish'?-- 'Wish' expresses something which is not. Your sentence expresses a wish for something that did no
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