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Believer Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
What does he saying?
Hi,
Marius long ago (as it seems) quoted this to help me understand what a subjunctive mood is. Let me rewrite the quoted part and a part in it that needs some elaboration from you. I think he did say it (the book by the author) might not be easy to read.
_______
A past ense form in this category often conveys the idea of unreality:
I wish I were dead
or here [in the US] in colloquial speech with the past subjunctive form was, after the analogy of other past subjunctives which all have the same form as the past indicative, the reference to the present or the future alone distinguishing the subjunctive from the indicative:
I wish it was tomorrow!
I wish I had wings!
They afterwards wished they had arrested him.
G. Curme, A Grammar of the English Language, vol. II, p. 402
What does he mean by "the reference to the present or the future alone distinguishing the subjunctive trom the indicative'?
Marius long ago (as it seems) quoted this to help me understand what a subjunctive mood is. Let me rewrite the quoted part and a part in it that needs some elaboration from you. I think he did say it (the book by the author) might not be easy to read.
_______
A past ense form in this category often conveys the idea of unreality:
I wish I were dead
or here [in the US] in colloquial speech with the past subjunctive form was, after the analogy of other past subjunctives which all have the same form as the past indicative, the reference to the present or the future alone distinguishing the subjunctive from the indicative:
I wish it was tomorrow!
I wish I had wings!
They afterwards wished they had arrested him.
G. Curme, A Grammar of the English Language, vol. II, p. 402
What does he mean by "the reference to the present or the future alone distinguishing the subjunctive trom the indicative'?
Top answer
Hi Believer Curme means that the word tomorrow is enough to tell anyone with some common sense the fact that was can't be an indicative (= express a real situation). If a person says I wish it was tomorrow! , the current day can't be tomorrow.
- Hi Believer Curme means that the word tomorrow is enough to tell anyone with some common sense the fact that was can't be an indicative (= express a real situation).
- If a person says I wish it was tomorrow!
- , the current day can't be tomorrow.
- If it were, there would be no need to wish for it to be tomorrow.
- In pretty much the same way, no person has wings, that's a scientific fact .
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1 Answers
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Hi Believer
Curme means that the word tomorrow is enough to tell anyone with some common sense the fact that was can't be an indicative (= express a real situation). If a person says I wish it was tomorrow!, the current day can't be tomorrow. If it were, there would be no need to wish for it to be tomorrow.
In pretty much the same way, no person has w
Curme means that the word tomorrow is enough to tell anyone with some common sense the fact that was can't be an indicative (= express a real situation). If a person says I wish it was tomorrow!, the current day can't be tomorrow. If it were, there would be no need to wish for it to be tomorrow.
In pretty much the same way, no person has w
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