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Understanding Subjunctive and Conditionals

The subjunctive is a special verb form used to talk about uncertain or imagined events. It is the bare infinitive form of the verb except for "be", which is "were" in past tense and "be" in present tense. It is used after expressions like "it is vital that" or verbs like "insist" followed by "that". Conditional sentences express an action that will only happen if a certain condition is met. Type 1 refers to likely possible conditions using "if + present, will + future". Type 2 refers to unlikely possible conditions using "if + past, would + infinitive". Type 3 refers to impossible past conditions using "if + past perfect, would have + past participle

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67 views3 pages

Understanding Subjunctive and Conditionals

The subjunctive is a special verb form used to talk about uncertain or imagined events. It is the bare infinitive form of the verb except for "be", which is "were" in past tense and "be" in present tense. It is used after expressions like "it is vital that" or verbs like "insist" followed by "that". Conditional sentences express an action that will only happen if a certain condition is met. Type 1 refers to likely possible conditions using "if + present, will + future". Type 2 refers to unlikely possible conditions using "if + past, would + infinitive". Type 3 refers to impossible past conditions using "if + past perfect, would have + past participle

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akhsansobirin
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Subjunctive

⇒ The subjunctive is a special, relatively rare verb form in English.

Structure of the Subjunctive


The structure of the subjunctive is extremely simple. For all verbs except the past
tense of be, the subjunctive is the same as the bare infinitive (infinitive without
"to"):

be (past) be (present) all other verbs (past & present)

I were I be I work
you were you be you work
he, she, it were he, she, it be he, she, it work Use of
the Subjunctive
We use subjunctives mainly when talking about events that are not certain to
happen. For example, we use the subjunctive when talking about events that
somebody:
• wants to happen
• hopes will happen
• imagines happening
Look at these examples:
• It is vital that you be present at the meeting.
• If you were at the meeting, the President would be happy.
The subjunctive is typically used after two structures:
• the verbs: ask, command, demand, insist, propose, recommend, request,
suggest + that
• the expressions: it is desirable, essential, important, necessary, vital +
that
Here are some examples with the subjunctive:
• The manager insists that the car park be locked at night.
• The board of directors recommended that he join the company.
Conditional Sentences
⇒ Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If
Clauses. They are used to express that the action in the main clause
(without if) can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if)
is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences.
Conditional Sentence Type 1
→ It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Present, will-Future
Example: If I find her address, I will send her an invitation.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't
use a comma.
Example: I will send her an invitation if I find her address.
Conditional Sentence Type 2
→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form
if + Simple Past, main clause with Conditional I (= would + Infinitive)
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't
use a comma.
Example: I would send her an invitation if I found her address.
Conditional Sentence Type 3
→ It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the
past.
Form: if + Past Perfect, main clause with Conditional II
Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't
use a comma.
Example: I would have sent her an invitation if I had found her address.
Questions
1. The subjunctive is a formal construction, please explain and give the
example??
2. Is The subjunctive change to person?
3. What situations is Conditional Sentences Type I refer to ?
4. What type of conditional sentence? explain and give the examples?
5. Are the subjunctive and conditional sentence related to each other?

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