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November 29, 2005
no solo!
I was very excited to learn that we DO use subjunctives in English!
We usually say: I recommend that you be in your office tomorrow.
Instead of the indicative: I recommend that you are in your office tomorrow.
From http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/english/data/d0082859.html:
The present subjunctive has three uses in modern English. First, it follows verbs, nouns or adjectives that express the idea of command, suggestion or possibility: I suggested that he leave; It is my recommendation that she not be appointed; It is fitting that she resign.
This use of the present subjunctive is common in American English. In British English it is more usual to use should: I suggested that he should leave, but it seems that the present subjunctive may be on the increase.
Second, it is used in formal English in clauses beginning with words such as if; although; whether and lest: If that be the case, there is little more we can do; Tie her up securely, lest she escape.
This use of the present subjunctive tends to sound stilted and old-fashioned, and in everyday speech and writing the indicative is usually used instead: If that is the case..., but again American English uses it more readily than British English.
Third, it is used in certain fixed phrases, such as far be it from me; be that as it may; God save the Queen; come what may; suffice it to say; heaven forbid; perish the thought.
The past subjunctive effectively . . .
Posted by rxu at November 29, 2005 03:17 AM