Subjunctive Mood

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• Subjunctive Mood

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mood

• indicative mood
• imperative mood
• subjunctive mood

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1. two forms of subjunctive mood

• BE-subjunctive
• WERE-subjunctive

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BE-subjunctive realized by the base form (??)of
a verb WERE-subjunctive realized by the verb
were
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NPC has decreed that the new law be
implemented. It is imperative that the new law be
implemented. NPC has announced the decision that
the new law be implemented. Whatever be the
difficulty, we will implement the new law.
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Whatever be the difficulty, we will implement the
new law. Whatever the difficulty is, Whatever
the difficulty should / may be,
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BE-subjunctive

• decide
• decree
• suggest
• move

advisable appropriate essential imperative
decision decree instruction requirement
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It is imperative that the new law be implemented.
It is imperative that the new law should be
implemented.
It is imperative for the new law to be
implemented.
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If the rumor be true, everything is possible.
If the rumor were true, everything would be
possible.
If the rumor should be true, everything is
possible
If the rumor is true, everything is possible.
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formality
Be-subjunctive
not necessarily unreal condition
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If DPRK were to attend the six party talk, the
other countries would feel greatly relieved.
Were DPRK to attend the six party talk,
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were? was?
If I were you, Were DPRK to attend the six
party talk, As it were
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2. ways of expressing hypothetical meanings

• past tense forms of verbs
• simple past
• past progressive
• past perfective
• past tense modals
• could should would

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pay attention to the time reference

• It is (high, about) time (that)
• I would rather / sooner (that)
• If only
• as if / as though
• I wish (that)

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?????????,???????????? ???????,??????????
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If I had spoken to him yesterday, I would know
what to do now. If he knew this, it would have
had to be by accident.
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If I were,
referring to any time
If I were not busy, I would have come. If I were
you, I would go. If I were rich, I would build up
a large house for poor people.
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would could should might

• in the main clause with conditional clauses
• in conditional clauses (should)
• in other contexts (page 276-277)

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pay attention to the time reference
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simple past if should if were to
If the ship at noon, it would pass the
canal between 200 and 230 p.m.
left
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inverted conditional clause

• Were
• Had
• Should

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Were you in my position, you would do the
same. Had I time, I would come. I will go should
it be necessary.
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• He left orders that nothing ____ touched until
  the police arrived here.
• should be B. ought to be C. must be
• D. would be
• 2. I was to have made a speech if ____.
• I was not called away
• nobody would have called me away
• C. I had not been called away
• D. nobody called me away

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• 3. If you have really been studying English for
  so long, its about time you ____ able to write
  letters in English.
• should be B. were
• C. must be D. are
• 4. Much as ____, I couldn't lend him the money
  because I simply didn't have that much spare
  cash.
• A. I would have liked to B. I would like to have
• C. I should have to like D. I should have liked
  to

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• 5. If your car ____ any attention during the
  first 12 month, take it to an authorised dealer.
• shall need B. should need
• C. would need D. will need
• 6. ____ enough time and money, the researcher
  would have been able to discover more in this
  field.
• Giving B. To give C. Given
• D. Being given

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7. All of us would have enjoyed the party much
more if there _ quite such a crowd of people
there. A. weren't B. hasnt been C. hadnt
been D. wouldn't be 8. ____ for the fact that
she broke her leg, she might have passed the
exam. A. Had it not been B. Hadnt it been C. Was
it not D. Were it not
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• 9. What courses are you going to do next
  semester?
• I dont know. But its about time ____ on
  something.
• Id decide B. I decided C. I decide
• D. Im deciding

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• 10. ____, he would not have recovered so quickly.
• Hadnt he been taken good care of
• Had he not been taken good care of
• Had not he been taken good care of
• Had he been not taken good care of
• 11. ____ your timely advice, I would never have
  known how to go about the work.
• A. Unless B. But for C. Except for D. Not for

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• Page 178-180
• Page 266-280