Practical Exercises in English

by Huber Gray Buehler

1. In the single case of the verb to be there are distinct forms for the present and past tenses, namely:—

Present.				Past
I,	we	}	be.	I were,	we	}	were.
thou,	you			thou wert,	you
he,	they			he were,	they

EXAMPLES.—"See that my room be[85] got ready at once." "I will work you a banner if you be[85] victorious." "The headsman feels if the axe be[85] sharp." "Take care lest you be deceived." "Judge not that ye be not judged." "I will beard them, though they be[85] more fanged than wolves and bears." "If I were you, I would not say that." "If you were more studious, you would rank high." "Would that my parents were here!"

2. In other verbs the subjunctive form is distinguishable from the indicative in the second and third persons singular by the absence of the personal endings -th,-s, or -st: as,

Present Indicative: I have, thou hast, he has (hath).
Subjunctive: I have, thou have, he have.
Past Indicative: I had, thou hadst, he had.
Subjunctive: I had, thou had, he had.
Present Indicative: I come, thou comest, he comes (cometh).
Subjunctive: I come, thou come, he come.
Past Indicative: I came, thou earnest, he came.
Subjunctive: I came, thou came, he came.

[82] "Foundations," pp. 98-101.
[83] "Some people seem to think that the subjunctive mood is as good as lost, that it is doomed, and that its retention is hopeless. If its function were generally appreciated, it might even now be saved.... If we lose the Subjunctive Verb, it will certainly be a grievous impoverishment to our literary language, were it only for its value in giving variation to diction—and I make bold to assert that the writer who helps to keep it up deserves public gratitude."—John Earle: English Prose, its Elements, History, and Usage, p. 172.
[84] "The lecturer also put in a plea for more vitality in the teaching of English, which ought to be made the gate to other languages. Many of the difficult questions of Latin syntax might be examined in the field of English, if only we were careful to treat our English critically. Whereas most grammars cut the ground from under them by denying the existence of a Subjunctive Mood. Until teachers recognize generally that, in such a sentence as 'If he had done it, it had been better,' we have a Subjunctive in both clauses, and a sentence essentially different from 'If he had loved her before, he now adored her,' English must forfeit half its value, both as a mental discipline and as a means of approach to Latin, Greek, and German."—From a report of a Lecture by Prof. Sonnenschein, of the Mason College, quoted in Earle's "English Prose," p. 55. [85] In such sentences the indicative would be, according to modern usage, correct, and it is more common.

EXAMPLES.—"Long live the king!" "If thou go, see that thou offend not." "It is better he die." "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." "Unless he behave[86] better, he will be punished." "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" "Govern well thy appetite, lest sin surprise thee." "If my sister saw this snake, she would be frightened." "I wish I knew where Charles is."

The perfect and pluperfect subjunctives are of course formed by means of the subjunctive present and past tenses of "have."

3. Very often, instead of the simple subjunctive forms, we use auxiliary verbs—may (past, might) and would or should—to express the subjunctive idea. "May" ("might") is common as an equivalent for the subjunctive mode in clauses denoting a purpose, a wish, a hope, or a fear:
as, "Bring him the book, that he may read to us;" "May he rest in peace;" "I hope you may succeed;" "They were afraid we might lose the way." "Would" and "should" are common substitutes for all tenses of the subjunctive: as, "Walk carefully lest you (stumble) should stumble;" "If he (come) should come, he will find me at home;" "It (were) would be better if he (went) should go alone;" "If my sister had seen this mouse, she (had been) would have been frightened." In these sentences either the form in parenthesis or the italicized form is correct, though the latter is more common.

NOTE.—It does not follow that the verbs "may," "would," and "should" always express the subjunctive idea. In the following sentences, for instance, they express the indicative idea: "You may (i.e., are permitted to) stay an hour;" "You should (i.e., ought to) be punctual;" "Edith would not (i.e., was unwilling to) come." In such sentences "may," "should," and "would" make simple statements of fact.