37. The conditional mood

Forms: The Conditional Mood is an analytical form built up by means of the auxiliary verb should (for the 1st person) or would (for the other persons) and the infinitive. The non-perfect Conditional Mood employs the indefinite or continuous infinitive: should do, would be going; the perfect Conditional Mood is formed with the help of the perfect or perfect continuous infinitive: should have done, would have been reading.

Meaning: The Conditional Mood, like Subjunctive II, represents an action as contradicting reality. The difference between the two moods is in their form and in their usage.

Use: The Conditional Mood is used in simple sentences and in the principal clause of a complex sentence.

SIMPLE SENTENCE The Conditional Mood is used to denote unreal actions in simple sentences:

a) with an adverbial modifier of condition expressed by a but for-phrase

b) with implied condition

c) to sound polite, less straightforward. Here the Conditional Mood differs from the Indicative only stylistically, the perfect

COMPLEX SENTENCE The Conditional Mood is used in the principal clauses of the complex sentences with the subordinate clauses of unreal condition or unreal concession (where Subjunctive II is used). The choice of actual forms depends on the time reference of the actions.

1. If the unreal actions in both the principal and the subordinate clause relate to the present or future, the non-perfect forms of respectively the Conditional Mood and Subjunctive II are used: I should never forgive myself if I profited by his generosity.

2. If both the actions contradicting reality relate to the past, the perfect Conditional is used in the principal clause and perfect Subjunctive II in the subordinate one.

3. The actions in the principal and subordinate clauses may have different time reference. Sentences of this kind are said to have split condition. The unreal condition may refer to the past (perfect Subjunctive II) and the unreal consequence to the present (non-perfect Conditional)

The unreal condition may refer to no particular time (non-perfect Subjunctive II) and the unreal consequence may refer to the past (perfect Conditional)

The modal verbs can, will, may are freely used in Subjunctive II to express unreal actions both in principal and subordinate clauses of unreal condition/concession.

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38. The suppositional mood and subjunctive I

These two moods will be treated together because they have the same meaning and are practically interchangeable in use. They differ in form as well as stylistically.

Forms: Subjunctive I is a synthetical form surviving from Old English. It has only one form which is homonymous with the plain verb stem: be, do, have, go, write, etc. The negative form of Subjunctive I is not be, not do, not have.

The Suppositional Mood is an analytical form built up with the help of the auxiliary verb should for all persons plus the infinitive. The non-perfect Suppositional Mood: should be, should do, should write. The perfect Suppositional Mood: should have been, should have done, should have written.

Meaning: Both Subjunctive I and the Suppositional Mood express problematic actions, not necessarily contradicting reality. These actions are presented as necessity, order, suggestion, supposition, desire, request, etc.

Expressing the same kind of modality, Subjunctive I and the Suppositional Mood are used in the same syntactic structures and are, to a great extent, interchangeable.

Use: The Suppositional Mood and Subjunctive I are used in simple sentences and in certain subordinate clauses of a complex sentence.

SIMPLE SENTENCE In simple sentences only Subjunctive I is used in a few set expressions as a survival of old usage (the so-called formulaic expressions).

1. Most of them express a wish:

2. Some formulaic expressions have a concessive meaning:

3. The only productive pattern of a simple sentence with Subjunctive I is the sentence expressing a command or a request with an indefinite pronoun as the subject.

4. The Suppositional Mood is used only in one type of interrogative sentences beginning with 'And what if ... ?'

And what if he should come back?

COMPLEX SENTENCE Subjunctive I and the Suppositional Mood are used in nominal (subject, object, predicative), attributive appositive and some adverbial subordinate clauses.

NOMINAL AND ATTRIBUTIVE APPOSITIVE CLAUSES

1. Both Subjunctive I and the Suppositional Mood (non-perfect) can be used in subject, object, predicative and

attributive appositive clauses if in the principal clause a modal meaning is expressed (one of order, recommendation, suggestion, supposition, desire, command, etc.)

2. Only the Suppositional Mood (both non-perfect and perfect) is used in nominal and attributive appositive clauses if in the principal clause a personal reaction to events is expressed (for instance, with words like amazing, interesting, shocked, sorry, normal, natural, it's a shame,

3. The Suppositional Mood (mostly non-perfect, though perfect is also possible) and rarely Subjunctive I is used in nominal and attributive appositive clauses after the expression of fear in the principal clause. The subordinate clause may be introduced by the conjunction that or the negative conjunction lest (typical of a literary style)

ADVERBIAL CLAUSES

1. In adverbial clauses of purpose introduced by the conjunctions so that, lest (literary' style) the non-perfect Suppositional Mood is used or, rarely, Subjunctive I.

2. In adverbial clauses of concession introduced by though, although, whatever, whoever, whenever, wherever, etc., the non-perfect Suppositional Mood or Subjunctive I may be used with reference to the present or future.

3. In the adverbial clauses of condition referring to the future the Suppositional Mood is used to show that the action is possible, though unlikely.