The subjunctive mood and the unreal past

The subjunctive mood and the unreal past

1. The subjunctive and ‘unreal’ uses of past forms Form and use

2. Grammatical c ategories Number: singular & plural Case: n ominative, accusative, genitive Person : 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd Gender: masculine, feminine, neuter Tense: present & past A spect: simple, progressive, perfect Voice: active & passive

3. Mood In a  sentence, the grammatical   mood   conveys  the speaker’s attitude or feelings about the reality of what he is saying . English moods: imperative , indicative, and subjunctive

4. The subjunctive It is used: - to express a demand, suggestion, or request ( I suggest you be on time .); - to express a wish ( If only Jim were here .); - or to set a condition for a future action ( They would be happy if I were here .).

5. Form - present: the infinitive of a verb (without to ). - past: the plural past form of a verb. - Notice that each pronoun requires the identical verb form. PL3 they PL2 you PL1 we SG3 he, she, it SG2 you SG1 I Verb to be be be be be be be present were were were were were were past not be not be not be not be not be not be negative

6. verb structure Subjunctive mood Indicative mood Present I be I am 1 st sing. you be you are 2 nd sing. he/she/it be he/she/it is 3 rd sing. we/ye/they be we/you/they are plural Past tense I were I was 1 st sing. you were you were 2 nd sing. he/she/it were he/she/it was 3 rd sing. we/ye/they were we/you/they were plural

7. examples - She demanded that you be on time tomorrow. (not ‘are’). - I insisted he come by for a visit. (not ‘comes’) - I suggested he not go to the football game. (not ‘does not go’)

8. Use a list of common verbs and expressions that require a subjunctive verb in a noun clause introduced by that. advise (that) it is essential (that) recommend (that) ask (that) it is important (that) request (that) insist (that) it is necessary (that) suggest (that) order (that) it is vital (that) propose (that) request (that) it is crucial (that ) demand (that)

9. The ‘unreal’ past It is used: - to describe things which are imagined or unreal. e.g. If only Jim were here. (he is not here, but I would like him to be present)

10. Use a list of introducing expressions: I f only/wish … It’s time … What if … Suppose/supposing … would rather/would sooner … as if … as though …