The suppositional mood and subjunctive I

MOOD

Mood is a grammatical category which indicates the attitude of the speaker towards the action expressed by the verb from the point of view of its reality.

There are six moods in the English language: the indicative mood (изъявительное), the imperative mood (повелительное), subjunctive I (сослагательное), subjunctive II, the conditional mood (условное), the suppositional mood (предположительное).

The indicative mood and the imperative mood represent the process as a fact.

The indicative mood expresses facts, that is the speaker represents the action as a real fact.

e.g. I lived near Baranovichi Polesskie Station.

The imperative mood expresses the will of the speaker in the form of commands and requests.

e.g. Mind your own business. Don’t smoke.

The suppositional mood, subjunctive I, subjunctive II and the conditional mood are called “oblique moods” (косвенное), they represent the action as unreal.

The suppositional mood represents the action as problematic but not contradicting (опровергать, отрицать, противоречить) to reality, it represents the action as desirable, suggested, supposed.

e.g.He suggested that we should go to the cinema.

The Subjunctive Mood shows that the action or state expressed by the verb is presented as a non-fact, as smth imaginary or desired. It is also used to express an emotional attitude of the speaker to real facts.

In Modern English The Subjunctive Mood has synthetic and analytical forms.

The synthetic forms are as follows: the Present Subjunctive (a special kind of present tense which has no –s in the 3d person singular. (I, you, he/she/it, we, you, they – be, have, speak) and the Past Sunjunctive only of the verb “to be” (I, you, he/she/it, we, you, they – were). The synthetic forms are sometimes used in that –clauses in a formal style, esp. in AE, after words which express the idea that smth is important or desirable and in certain fixed phrases.

God bless you, God forbid! (Боже упаси), long live …., be it so, Suffice it to say, far be it from me to contradict you! (у меня и в мыслях не было противоречить вам).

The analytical forms consist of the mood auxiliaries should, would, may (might), shall + Infinitive.

It is important that every student should have the same education opportunities.

Subjunctive I is close to the suppositional mood in its meaning, but its forms are different.

Subjunctive I is seldom used in Modern English. It is mostly used in the language of official documents, high prose and the American variant of English.

e.g. He suggested that we go to the cinema.

Subjunctive II represents the action as contrary to reality.

e.g.Oh, I wish I’d never seen him.

e.g. You sound as if you had soap in your mouth.

The conditional mood expresses the unreal action the unreality of which is due to the absence of the necessary conditions.

e.g. If I had free time I would help you.

THE SUPPOSITIONAL MOOD AND SUBJUNCTIVE I

The suppositional mood and subjunctive I represent the action as problematic, but not contradicting to reality. These moods represent the actions as desirable or undesirable, suggested, advised, etc. They are used to express necessity, suggestion, advice, supposition, etc.

The suppositional mood is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb should for all the persons singular and plural and the infinitive of the notional verb in the appropriate form without the particle to.

The suppositional mood has two forms: non-perfect and perfect.

I

he/she/it

we should write(be writing; be written) Non-perfect

you

they

I

he/she/it

we should have written (have been written) Perfect

you

they

The non-perfect form is used to express simultaneousness in the present or in the past, or refers the action to the future.

e.g. It didn’t seem strange to him that Scarlett shouldn’t know what was on her sister’s mind.

The perfect form of the suppositional mood is used to express prior actions or situations.

e.g. It’s incredible that she should have risen so early.

Due to the fact that suggestion, advice, recommendation as a rule refer to the future the perfect form of the suppositional mood is rather seldom used.

Subjunctive I has one form which is used with reference to any time.

I

he/she/it

we be; write (be writing)

you

they

e.g. It is imperative that he do it. I insist you be there in time.

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