of Optics and Electronics
Diploma paper
«The problems
of the Subjunctive Mood in English»
Krasnogorsk 2007
Федеральное агентство по
образованию по образованию
Государственное
образовательное учреждение среднего профессионального образования
Красногорский оптико-электронный
колледж
Дипломная работа
«Проблемы сослагательного
наклонения в английском языке»
Красногорск 2007
Contents
Preface
1. The Subjunctive
Mood?
1.1 Foreign
linguists’ speculations about the Subjunctive Mood
1.2 The
Subjunctive Mood from the point of view of the representatives of the Russian
linguistic school
2. The main
cases of the use of the Subjunctive Mood in English
3. The use of
The Subjunctive Mood in the works of English and American writers
Conclusion
Bibliography
Preface
There
are many controversial and not thoroughly investigated points in the English
grammar. Nevertheless, in my opinion one of the most difficult and not clear
both from the point of view of its definition and description and from the
point of view of its practical implementation in speech is the subject of the
Subjunctive Mood. Even the name of this grammatical category seems ambiguous in
term of its being approached and characterized by different outstanding
linguists in our country and abroad.
No
wonder this problem couldn’t but arise my curiosity and language interest. I
have made up my mind to consider the material compiled on this problem in
different sources to clear up the point for myself and to have a better idea
about the usage of the Subjunctive Mood in speech.
I
will learn more information about points of views of English and Russian
grammarians. It is very interesting for me to know how English linguists
understand problem of The Subjunctive Mood and what way Russian ones do it. I
will also introduce the most important point of my diploma paper – the usage of
the Subjunctive Mood. I want to learn in what cases we should use the Subjunctive
Mood.
Thus
the object of my paper is the Subjunctive Mood itself.
The
subject of my diploma paper is the Subjunctive Mood in the works of foreign and
Russian grammar schools as well as the main cases of the Subjunctive Mood
usage.
The
aim of my diploma paper is to compare different approaches to the problem of
the Subjunctive Mood with the purpose of investigating the material available
for me about the Subjunctive Mood from English and Russian sources.
My
diploma paper consists of three chapters: in the 1st chapter I
consider different approaches to the Subjunctive Mood understanding both in our
country and abroad. In the 2nd chapter I present the main cases of
the Subjunctive Mood use and perform the results obtained. There is a
conclusion too. To write my diploma paper I used the works of the outstanding
English grammarians, such as: H. Sweet, G.O. Curme, O. Jespersen and Russian
scholars: V. Kaushanskaya, V. Vinogradov. You can see the names of their works
in the list of literature, on page 25, and the information from Internet.
The
3d chapter represents my practical contribution into the problem of
the Subjunctive Mood. In this chapter I analyze the use of the Subjunctive Mood
by some English and American writers and draw the conclusion based on the
material collected.
The
literary sources are given as supplementary material after Bibliography.
1.
The Subjunctive Mood?
1.1
Foreign linguists’ speculations about the Subjunctive Mood
As
we shall further see there is no unity on the Subjunctive Mood among the world
famous foreign grammarians. I would like to dwell on the views of the most
outstanding linguists.
By
the moods of a verb H. Sweet in his work «A new English Grammar (Part I)» understands
grammatical forms expressing different relations between subject and predicate.
Thus, if a language has special forms to express commands as distinguished from
statements, we include the forms that express command under the term «imperative
mood». Thus in English come! is in the imperative mood, while the
statement he comes is in the «indicative» mood.
In
English the only inflectional moods are the indicative and subjunctive. But the
inflections of the English verb are so scanty that we need not be surprised to
find that the distinction between indicative and subjunctive is very slight.
The only regular inflection by which the subjunctive is distinguished from the
indicative in English is that of the third person singular present, which drops
the s of the indicative (he sees) in the subjunctive (he see). In
the verb to be, however, further distinctions are made: indicative I
am, he is, he was, subjunctive I be, he be, he were,
although in the spoken language the only distinction that is still kept us is
that between was and were. Consequently the sense of the
distinction in function between subjunctive and indicative has almost died out
in English, and use the subjunctive were only in combination with other
mood-forms, the other subjunctive inflections surviving only in a few special
phrases and constructions, such as God, save the Queen!, where the
subjunctive expresses wish, being thus equivalent to the Greek optative.
The
few distinction that English makes between fact-statements and thought-statements
are mainly expressed, not by inflections, but by auxiliaries (periphrastic
moods), and by peculiar uses of tense-distinctions. The following are the
auxiliary forms:
a)
The combination of should and would with the
infinitive – the conditional mood.
b)
The combination of may and its preterite might with
the infinitive is called the permissive mood.
c)
The combination of the finite forms of the verb to be with
the supine is called compulsive mood.
We
use tenses to express thought-statements in the hypothetical clauses of
conditional sentences, as in if I knew his address I would write him; if it
were possible I would do it. In the latter example the hypothesis is
shown not only by the preterite tense, but also by the subjunctive inflection,
which is really superfluous. When a thought-statement is expressed by a tense
in this way, H. Sweet calls it a tense-mood. Were in if it
were is a subjunctive tense-mood.
As
we see, in some conditional sentences all three ways of expressing
thought-statement are used.
G.O.
Curme in the work «A Grammar of the English Language» considers moods as the
changes in the form of the verb to show the various ways in which the action or
state is thought of by the speaker.
There
are two moods:
1.
Indicative Mood. This form represents something as a fact,
or as in close relation with reality, or in interrogative form inquires after a
fact.
2.
Subjunctive Mood. The function of the subjunctive mood is
to represent something, not as an actual reality, but as formed in the mind of
the speaker as a desire, wish, volition, plan, conception, thought; something
with more or less hope of realization, or, in the case of a statement, with
more or less belief, sometimes with little or no hope or faith.
The
various meanings may be classified under two general heads – the optative
subjunctive and the potential subjunctive. The optative subjunctive represents
something as desired, demanded, required. The potential subjunctive marks
something as a mere conception of the mind, but at the same time represents it
as something that may probably be or become a reality or on the other hand as
something that is contrary to fact.
H.
Whitehall in the work «Structural Essentials of English» says that Mood (or
mode) establishes the speaker’s or writer’s mood about the actuality of a
happening. The indicative mood indicates that what he says must be regarded as
a fact, i.e., as having occurred or as occurring; the so-called subjunctive
mood implies that he is doubtful or uncertain about its occurrence.
Although
the subjunctive is gradually dying out of the language, English is rich in
devices for expressing one’s psychological moods toward happenings that are
imaginary.
Our
apparatus for expressing mood suggests that in the use of verb word-groups, the
speaker’s or writer’s mental attitudes are of great importance.
Many
grammarians enumerate the following moods in English, etc.: indicative,
subjunctive, imperative, infinitive, and participle. O. Jespersen as it can be
seen from «The Philosophy of Grammar» considers that infinitives and
participles cannot be coordinated with the others, and we shall therefore in
this chapter deal with the first three moods only. These are sometimes called
fact-mood, thought-mood, and will-mood respectively. But they do not express
different relations between subject and predicate. It is much more correct to
say that they express certain attitudes of the mind of the speaker towards the
contents of the sentence.
O.
Jespersen in his work «A modern English Grammar» presents forms of the
Subjunctive Mood in the table:
For
expressing unreal action, simultaneous or planning action towards now
|
For
expressing unreal action, past towards now
|
I. I should
he, she, it
would do
we should be
doing
you would be
done
they would
II. I
he, she, it do
we would be
doing
you be done
they
III. I
he, she, it do
we should be
doing
you be done
they
IV. I
we be, did,
were
you
they
|
should
would have
done
should have
been doing
would have
been doing
would
have done
would have
been doing
have been
doing
have done
should have
been doing
have been
doing
had been
had done
|
1.2
The Subjunctive Mood from the point of view of the representatives
of the Russian linguistic school
The
category of mood in the present English verb has given rise to so many
discussions, and has been treated in so many different ways, that it seems
hardly possible to arrive at any more or less convincing and universally
acceptable conclusion concerning it. Indeed, the only points in the sphere of
mood which have not so far been disputed seem to be these: there is a category
of mood in Modern English; there are at least two moods in the modern English
verb, one of which is the Subjunctive. These points were discussed not only by
English grammarians, but Russian grammarians too.
Academician
V. Vinogradov in his work «Russian Language» gave the definition of the
category of mood: «Mood expresses the relation of the action to reality, as
stated by the speaker.»
The
relations between meaning and form will be expressed by two different series of
external signs.
The
first of these two points may be illustrated by sequence we should come,
which means one thing in the sentence I think we should come here again
tomorrow; it means another thing in the sentence if we knew that he
wants us we should come to see him, and it means another thing again in the
sentence How queer that we should come at the very moment when you were
talking about us! In a similar way, several meanings may be found in the
sequence he would come in different contexts.
The
second of the two points may be illustrated by comparing the two sentences, I
suggest that he go and I suggest that he should go, and we will for
the present neglect the fact that the first of the two variants is more typical
of American, and the second of British English.
Matters
are still further complicated by two phenomena where we are faced with a choice
between polysemy and homonymy. One of these concerns forms like lived, knew,
etc. Such forms appear in two types of contexts, of which one may be
exemplified by the sentences, He lived here five years ago, or I knew
it all along, and the other by the sentences If he lived here he would
come at once, or, If I knew his address I should write to him.
In
sentences of the first type the form obviously is the past tense of the
indicative mood. The second type admits of two interpretations: either the form
lived, knew, etc. are the same forms of the past indicative that were
used in the first type, but they have acquired another meaning in this
particular context, or else the forms lived, knew, etc. are forms of the
past indicative but are basically different.
There
is another peculiar complication in the analysis of mood. The question is, what
verbs are auxiliaries of Mood in Modern English? The verbs should and would
are auxiliaries expressing unreality. But the question is less clear with the
verb may when used in such sentences as Come closer that I may hear what you
say. Is the group may hear some mood form of the verb hear,
or is it a free combination of two verbs, thus belonging entirely to the field
of syntax, not morphology? The same question may be asked about the verb may
in such sentences as May you be happy! Where it is part of a group
used to express a wish, and is perhaps a mood auxiliary. We ought to seek an
objective criterion which would enable us to arrive at a convincing conclusion.
All
these considerations, varied as they are, make the problem of mood in Modern
English extremely difficult to solve and they seem to show in advance that no
universally acceptable solution can be hoped for in a near future. Those
proposed so far have been extremely unlike each other. Owning to the difference
of approach to moods, grammarians have been vacillating between two extremes –
3 moods (indicative, subjunctive and imperative), put forward by many
grammarians, and 16 moods, as proposed by M. Deutschbein. Between these
extremes there are intermediate views, such as that of Prof. A. Smirnitsky, who
proposed a system of 6 moods (indicative, imperative, subjunctive I,
subjunctive II, suppositional, and conditional), and who was followed in this
respect by M. Ganshina and N. Vasilevskaya.
If
we look through the meaning of the mood forms, we obtain the following headings:
Meaning
|
Means of
expression
|
Inducement
(order, request, prayer, and the like)
Possibility
(action thought of as conditionally possible, or as purpose of another
action, etc.)
Unreal
condition
Consequence
of unreal condition
|
come (!) (no ending,
no auxiliary, and usually without subject, 2nd person only)
(he) come (no ending,
no auxiliary)
Should come
(should for all persons)
may come (?)
came, had
come (same as past or past perfect indicative), used in subordinate
clauses
should come (1st
person)
would come (2nd
and 3rd person)
|
We
would thus get either four moods, or three moods, or two moods. The choice
between these variants will remain arbitrary and is unlikely ever to be
determined by means of any objective data.
If,
on the other hand, we start from the means of expressing moods we are likely to
get something like this system:
Meaning
|
Means of
expression
|
Inducement
Possibility
Unreal
condition
Unlikely
condition
Consequence
of unreal condition
Wish or
purpose
|
come (!) (no ending,
no auxiliary, and usually without subject)
(he) come (no ending
in any persons, no auxiliary)
came, had
come
Should come
(for all persons)
should come (1st
person)
would come (2nd
and 3rd person)
may come (?)
|
In
this way we should obtain different system, comprising six moods, with the
following meanings:
1.
Inducement
2.
Possibility
3.
Unreal condition
4.
Unlikely condition
5.
Consequence of unreal condition
6.
Wish or purpose
A
similar problem concerns the groups «should + infinitive» and «would +
infinitive». Two views are possible here. If we have decided to avoid homonymy
as far as possible, we will say that a group of this type is basically a tense
(the future-in-the-past), which under certain specified conditions may express
an unreal action – the consequence of an unfulfilled condition.
If
we endorse one of the views, that is, if we take the temporal and the modal
groups «should (would) + infinitive» to be homonyms, the patterns themselves
will not change. The change will affect the headings. We shall have to say, in
that case, that the patterns serve to distinguish between two basically
different forms sounding alike. Again, just as in the case of lived and knew,
this will be a matter of interpreting facts, rather than of the facts as such.
To
sum up the whole discussion about categories of the verb found in conditional
sentences, the simplest view, and the one to be preferred is that we have here
forms of the indicative mood in a special use. Another view is that we have
here forms of special moods, and that they are distinguished from each other
according to the category of correlation.
2.
The main cases of the use of The Subjunctive Mood in English
1.
Simple sentences
In
simple sentences the synthetic forms of the Subjunctive Mood are more frequent
than the analytical forms.
·
To express wish:
e.g. Success
attend you!
·
To express wish the analytical subjunctive with the mood auxiliary
may is also used.
e.g.
May you live long and die happy!
·
To express an unreal wish:
e.g.
If only he were free!
·
In oaths and imprecations:
e.g.
Manners be hanged!
·
In some expressions:
e.g.
Be it so!
God forbid!
The
Subjunctive Mood in simple sentences is characteristic of literary style,
except in oaths and imprecations, which belong to low colloquial style.
2.
Complex sentences
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in conditional sentences to
express
an unreal condition (in the subordinate clause) and an unreal consequence (in
the principal clause).
In
sentences of unreal condition referring to the present of future the past
Subjunctive of the verb to be is used in the subordinate clause; with
other verbs the same meaning is expressed by the Past Infinitive of the
Indicative Mood. In the principal clause we find the analytical subjunctive
consisting of the mood auxiliary should or would and the Indefinite Infinitive.
Should is used with the first person singular and plural, would is used with
the second and third person singular and plural.
e.g.
The world would be healthier if every chemist’s shop in England were demolished.
An
unreal condition referring to the future can also be expressed by the Past
Subjunctive of the verb to be + to – Infinitive of the notional verb or the
analytical Subjunctive with the mood auxiliary should for all the persons. Such
sentences are often translated by means of «Если бы случилось так…», «Случилось так…»
e.g.
Well, Major, if you should send me to a difficult spot – with this man
alone, I’d feel secure.
If
in the subordinate clause the mood auxiliary should is used, we often find the
Indicative Mood in the principal clause.
e.g.
If he should come, ask him to wait.
In
sentences of unreal condition referring to the Past Perfect of the Indicative
Mood is used in the subordinate clause; in the principal clause we find the
analytical subjunctive consisting of the mood auxiliary should or would and the
Perfect Infinitive.
e.g.
If I had consulted my own interests, I should never have come here.
There
are two mixed types of sentences of unreal condition. In the first of these the
condition refers to the past and the consequence refers to the present or
future.
e.g.
If you had taken your medicine yesterday, you would be well now.
In
the second type the condition refers to no particular time and the consequence
to the past.
e.g.
If he were not so absent-minded, he would not have mistaken you for your
sister.
In
sentences of unreal condition the modal verbs might and cold are often used;
they fully retain their modal meaning and therefore they do not form the
analytical subjunctive.
Here
we have the group «modal verb + Infinitive» which forms a compound verbal modal
predicate, whereas the analytical subjunctive forms a simple predicate.
e.g.
I could have done very well if I had been without the Murdstones.
Would,
when used in the subordinate clause of a sentence of unreal condition, is also
a modal verb forming with the infinitive a compound verbal modal predicate.
e.g.
If you would come and see us…, mother would be as proud of your company as I
should be.
The
conjunctions introducing adverbial clauses of condition are: if, in case,
provided, suppose, unless, and some others.
e.g.
Suppose he wrote to you, would you answer?
Adverbial
clauses of condition containing the verbs had, were, could and should are often
introduced without any conjunctions. In these cases we find inversion.
e.g.
Should he come this way, I will speak to him.
The
Subjunctive Mood is used in sentences expressing what may be understood as an
unreal consequence, the condition of which is not expressed as such.
e.g.
There was no piano… because it would have taken up much room.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in adverbial clauses of purpose.
When
a clause of purpose is introduced by the conjunctions that, so that, in
order that, we find the analytical subjunctive with the mood auxiliary may(might)
if the principal clause refers to the present of future; if the principal
clause refers to the past, only the form might is used.
As
has already been stated, the mood auxiliary may(might) retains in this
case a shade of modality.
e.g.
He got up, cautiously, so that he might not wake the sleeping boy.
If
a clause of purpose is introduced by lest the mood auxiliary should
(for all persons) is generally used. Lest has a negative meaning (чтобы не).
e.g.
She opened the window lest it should be stuffy in the room.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in adverbial clauses of
concession.
Adverbial
clauses of concession are introduced by the conjunctions and connectives though,
although, however, no matter, whatever, whoever, etc. The analytical
subjunctive with the mood auxiliary may (might) is generally used.
e.g.
Though he may (might) be tired he will go to the concert.
If
the action of the subordinate clause is prior to that of the principal clause
the Perfect Infinitive is generally used.
e.g.
However badly he may have behaved to you in the past he is still your
brother.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in adverbial clauses of time and
place
after
the conjunctions whenever and wherever; in these cases the
clauses have an additional concessive meaning.
e.g.
Whenever you may (might) come, you are welcome.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in adverbial clauses of comparison
(or manner) introduced by the conjunctions as if and as
though (the latter is more literary).
If
the action of subordinate clause is simultaneous with that of the principal
clause the Past Subjunctive of the verb to be is used; with other verbs the
same meaning is expressed by the Past Indefinite of the Indicative Mood.
e.g.
She speaks about him as if she knew him well.
If
the action of the subordinate clause is prior to that of the principal clause
the Past Perfect of the Indicative Mood is used.
e.g.
She speaks about him as if she had known him for years.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in predicative clauses:
a)
introduced by the conjunctions as if, as though, when we
find the link verbs to be, to fell, to look, to seem, etc. in the
principal clause.
If
the action of subordinate clause is simultaneous with that of the principal
clause the Past Subjunctive of the verb to be is used; with other verbs
the same meaning is expressed by the Past Indefinite of the Indicative Mood.
If
the action of the subordinate clause is prior to that of the principal clause
the Past Perfect of the Indicative Mood is used.
e.g.
I fell as if we were back seven years, Jon.
b)
when the subject of the principal clause is expressed by an abstract noun such
as wish, suggestion, aim, idea, etc. In this case the analytical
subjunctive with the mood auxiliary should (for all persons) is used.
e.g.
One of the conditions was that I should go abroad.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in subject clause after a
principal clause of the type It is necessary, It is important, etc.
It is necessary
It
is important
It
is right
It
is requested
It
is recommended that smb. should do smth.
It
is better (best)
It
is desirable
It
is of vital importance
The
analytical subjunctive with the mood auxiliary should is used for all
persons.
e.g.
It was necessary that the child’s history should be known to none.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in object clauses:
a)
When the predicate of the principal clause is expressed by the
verb to
wish. If the
action expressed in the object clause is simultaneous with that of the
principal clause the Past Subjunctive of the verb to be is used; with
other verbs the same meaning is expressed by the Past Indefinite of the
Indicative Mood.
e.g.
I wish I were a girl again.
If
the action expressed in the object clause is prior to that of the principal
clause the Past Perfect of the Indicative Mood is used.
e.g.
Auntie, I wish I had not done it.
The
analytical subjunctive with the mood auxiliary would (for all persons)
is also used in object clauses the verb to wish. This form is used only
in sentences referring to the present or future; it is possible only if the
subject of the principle clause is not the same as the subject of the object
clause. It is chiefly used in sentences expressing request or annoyance.
e.g.
I wish you would stay with me for a while.
b)
The Subjunctive Mood is used in object clauses introduced by the
conjunction
lest if in the principal clause the predicate is expressed by a verb
denoting fear.
e.g.
She fears lest she should be blamed.
After
verbs denoting fear object clauses are often introduced by the conjunction that,
in which case the Indicative Mood is used often with the modal verb may (might).
e.g.
She fears that she will (would) be blamed.
c)
The Subjunctive Mood is used in object clauses when we find verbs
and
Word-groups denoting order, suggestion, advice, desire, etc. in the principal
clause. The analytical subjunctive with the mood auxiliary should (for
all persons) is used.
Suggest
Propose
Demand
Desire
Insist that
smth. should be done
To
be anxious
See
to it
Order
Require
Make
up one’s mind
e.g.
Mr. Micawber was very anxious that I should stay to dinner.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is used in attributive appositive clauses modifying
the nouns wish, suggestion, aim, idea, etc. The analytical subjunctive
with the mood auxiliary should (for all persons) is used.
e.g.
His wish that everybody should take part in the work was reasonable.
·
The Subjunctive Mood is also used in attributive clauses modifying
the noun time in the principal clause It is time, It is high time. In
this case the Past Subjunctive of the verb to be is used; with other
verbs the same meaning is expressed by the Past Indefinite of the Indicative
Mood.
e.g.
It is time we went home.
The
analytical subjunctive with the mood auxiliary should is also possible,
though less common.
e.g.
It is time we should go home.
·
As has already been stated the Subjunctive Mood may be used to express
an emotional attitude of the speaker to real facts. Here we
always find the analytical subjunctive with the mood auxiliary should,
which in this case is often called the ‘emotional should’. If priority
is expressed the Perfect Infinitive is used.
In
this case the Subjunctive Mood is rendered in Russian by the Indicative Mood. The
emotional should occurs in different kinds of subordinate clauses; the
principal clause in such cases contains:
a)
An adjective expressing astonishment, incredulity, regret, joy,
such as strange, wonderful, unnatural, impossible, fortunate, unfortunate, etc.
e.g.
It is impossible that she should have said it.
b)
A noun with the same meaning: wonder, pity, shame, etc.
e.g.
He is such a charming man that it is quite a pity he should be so grave and
so dull.
c)
The principal clause may be of the following type: I am sorry,
glad, pleased, vexed, etc.
e.g.
I am sorry you should take such needless trouble.
·
The Tenses of the Forms Expressing Unreality (Summary)
As can be seen from the above description, not all the forms
of unreality can express tense distinctions. Thus the Subjunctive Mood and the
modal phrases should (for all persons) + infinitive and would (for all persons)
+ infinitive have no tense distinctions. They are used only in certain types of
subordinate clauses and generally show that the action of that clause follows
the action of the principal clause, i.e. they express time relatively.
e.g. I suggest(ed) that he takes up the
matter.
Since these forms have no tense distinctions the rules of the
sequence of tenses are not observed here.
Tense distinctions are expressed only by the forms of the
Conditional Mood (which has two tenses – Present and Past) and also by the use
of the forms of the Past Indefinite and the Past Perfect.
The Present Conditional Mood and the form of the Past
Indefinite (also the form were for all persons singular) serve to refer an
action to the present or the future when they are used in complex sentences
with a clause of condition (or a clause of concession introduced by even if or
even though).
e.g. If I had time I should go on a short
holiday.
The Past Conditional Mood and the form of the Past Perfect
serve to refer an action to the past in the same kinds of clauses.
e.g. If I had had time I should have gone on a
short holiday.
The Present Conditional Mood is also used with reference to
the present or future in simple sentences with implied condition while the Past
Conditional refers an action to the past.
e.g. It would not be possible to decide
anything without him.
It would not have been possible to decide anything without
him.
In all those cases the tenses are used absolutely, i.e. they
refer an action directly to the present, the past or the future.
The same is true of the modal verb were + infinitive which is
used only in if-clauses and refers an action of that clause to the future.
e.g. If everybody were to be brought up
differently, would the world not change?
But when all those forms, which in the above described cases
express time relations absolutely are used in other subordinate clauses, they
become relative tenses, i.e. they express the time with regard to the action of
the principal clause. The Present Conditional Mood and the form of the Past
Indefinite indicate that the action of the subordinate clause is simultaneous
with that of the principal clause or follows it.
e.g. They say it would be impossible to decide
anything without him.
The Past Conditional Mood and the form of the Past Perfect
show that the action of the subordinate clause precedes that of the principal
clause.
e.g. They say it would have been impossible to
decide anything without him.
It should be remembered that the tenses in sentences of
unreal condition are also used relatively in reported speech.
e.g. He says that if he had time he would go
on a short holiday.
As is seen from the examples, the rules of the sequence of
tenses are not observed with any of the above mentioned forms expressing
unreality.
It is different, however, when the forms can (may) +
infinitive are used to express problematic actions. Can is found only in
clauses of purpose, may – in clauses of purpose and-in object clauses after
expressions of fear in the principal clause.
e.g. On Sundays we always go outing so that
the children can spend the day in the open air.
The forms can (may) + infinitives are in the Indicative Mood
here, so the rules of the sequence of tenses should be observed. The above
forms express the time relatively – they show that the action of the
subordinate clause follows that of the principal clause.
3.
The use of The Subjunctive Mood in the works of English and American authors
The
3d chapter is my practical investigation of the problem of the use
of different forms of the Subjunctive Mood by English and American writers. For
this purpose I chose the following stories included into the textbook by
Merkulova which we studied during our 3 year, there are: «A Marriage of
Convenience», «The Luncheon», «The Verger» by S. Maugham, «Jerusalem the Golden»
by M. Drabble, «One Pair of Hands» by M. Dickens, «Shopping for One» by A.
Cassidy, «A Start in Life» by A. Brookner, «The Lord of the Rings» by J.R.R.
Tolkien as well as our home reading material «Love story» by Erick Segal.
All in all I have collected 62 examples on the use of the
Subjunctive Mood in the above literature.
As far as the Conditional clauses are concerned they are
represented by the following cases:
1.
Refering to the Future – Present Tense
e.g.
If I were a sentimentalist, and cared enough about Harvard to hang a photograph
on the wall, it would not be of Winthrop House, or Mem Church, but of Dillon.
Dillon Field House.
2.
Refering to the Past Tense
e.g. If you were to tell any of a dozen girls
at Tower Court, Wellesley, that Oliver Barrett IV had been a young lady daily
for three weeks and had not slept with her, they would surely have laughed and
severely questioned the femininity of the girl involved.
3.
Refering to the mixed type
e.g. If I did not want to marry, do you
imagine that I should have spent three days reading love letters from women I
have never set eyes on?
There are also examples when the unreal condition is
expressed with the help of inversion:
e.g. What inducement would there be for her to
give up her accustomed life to accompany in exile a man of forty-nine who is by
no means a beauty?
Some sentences show the use of the Subjunctive Mood
introduced by as if, as though in adverbial clauses of comparison depicting the
action both:
-
simultaneous with the principal clause:
e.g.
It was as if her exigent temperament required immediate results.
-
prior to it:
e.g. Except white wine,» she proceeded as
though I had not spoken.
It worth mentioning that the verb «to be» in found in two
forms as «was»:
e.g.
It’s not as if I was a bettin’ man.
and (what looks more Subjunctive) «were» for the person in
singular:
e.g. The manager stared at him as though he
were a prehistoric monster.
A number of examples are characteristic of emotional «should»
usage to express surprise or indignation of the speaker about the real facts:
e.g. It’s real, but why in hell should I
subject it to some arbitrary test?
Very few are sentences with the verb «wish»:
e.g. I wish I coulda seen it.
No examples were found on the use of the Subjunctive Mood in
adverbial clauses of concession; attribute clauses which modify the noun of the
principal clause «time» and adverbial clauses of purpose.
Conclusion
Having learned points of views of different grammarians about
the Subjunctive Mood, and also about its usage, I can say that this problem is
really difficult and needs solving.
Nevertheless, the problem of the Subjunctive Mood in English
is really interesting. It is discussed by a lot of linguists not only of England, but Russia, Germany and other countries.
Doing my work, I found out, that English and Russian
grammarians see the problem of the Subjunctive Mood in a different way.
Different linguists present various quantities of Moods and give them different
names.
So, I’ve managed to get acquainted with different theories on
the problem of the Subjunctive Mood definition, to consider the main cases of
its usage and to learn that the same verbal mood phenomena can be treated
differently depending on the basic point in understanding what the Subjunctive
Mood is. All these theories only prove the fact that the language is the
reflection of variety of forms of human life which is manifested in the saying:
so many men, so many minds.
So, before starting to collect the material on the use of the
Subjunctive Mood in the works of English and American writers for chapter 3 I
had expected there would be quite a lot of examples for some reasons: firstly,
because it is fiction, secondly, there are some but not one author, I was going
to analyze the works of with their own peculiarities in writing: their own
lexical and stylistic devices, their own vocabulary. But the number of the
examples I have found came as a surprise to me as it did not meet my
expectations.
As it turned out the majority of authors prefer using
different forms of the conditional clauses, they make 72,6%.
The second place belongs to the quantity of the Subjunctive
Mood forms introduced by the conjunction as if /as though in
adverbial clauses of comparison and manner, they make 14,5%.
The sentences to express people’s emotions with «why
should» occupy the 3d place, they constitute 8%.
The 4th place 3% that is taken by the sentences
where the Subjunctive Mood is introduced by the verb «wish».
And the last (but not least in importance) place – 1,6% belongs
to subject clauses inserting the Subjunctive Mood according to the formula:
It be A….
Graphically I can show it in the following way:
The use of the Subjunctive Mood in the works of English and
American authors:
It should be understood that I do not claim that the results
obtained by us are embracing all the English and American literature, but I can
express an idea that they may be characteristic of it.
The authors can very well do with the Indicative Mood and
sometimes Imperative in their creative activities not using supposition,
wishes, sorrow and other emotional shades of meaning so much, as I had first
expected. May be it is due to the fact that the stories I considered for
investigation are based on modern life reality.
It is not necessary to say that our contemporary life is
deprived of that romantic touch of sentimentality which can be expressed with
the help of the Subjunctive Mood. But I do hope that the forms of the
Subjunctive Mood which I discovered in the works of modern English and American
writers will be of interest to our students.
As far as my interest of this diploma paper is concerned I am
guided by the words of Pascal who said: «People are generally better persuaded
by the reasons which they themselves have discovered than by those which have
come into the minds of others».
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