§ 10. The Subjunctive Mood in Indirect Speech

As a rule forms of the Subjunctive Mood remain unchanged.

• Though if we use the Analytical Subjunctive with SHOULD for the 1^st person in complex sentences in adverbial clauses of unreal condition, we should replace it by WOULD.

  E.g. I should buy this book if I had money.	She said she would buy that book if she had money.
  I should have bought that book if I had had money.	She said she would have bought that book if she had had money.

• MAY is normally replaced by MIGHT.

E.g. I’ll find her, wherever she may be. He said he would find her wherever she might be.

Exercises the verb

Exercise 1.

(a) Group the following verbs into simple, derived, compound and composite.

Model. to sleep is a simple verb because it has no prefixes and suffixes.

to oversleep is a derived verb because it has the prefix over-.

to blackmail is a compound verb because it consists of two words.

to sit down is a composite verb because it is used with an adverb.

to load, to partake, to re-elect, to value, to lock, to go down, to mislead, to make out, to firebomb, to take off, to estimate, to disapprove, to blacklist, to reconsider, to pay, to disobey, to fishtail, to sell, to counteract, to give in.

(b) Group the following verbs into regular and irregular.

Model. to work (worked, worked) is a regular verb because it has the ending -ED in the 2^nd and 3^rd forms.

to take (took, taken) is an irregular verb because it has no ending -ED in the 2^nd and 3^rd forms.

to be, to hop, to mow, to cost, to plan, to talk, to tell, to ask, to show, to read, to go, to broadcast, to insist, to nod, to arm, to write, to press, to post, to say, to bake.

Exercise 2.

Say whether the verbs in bold type are main, auxiliary or link verbs.

Model. Mary goes to school every day.

goes is a main verb because it has a full lexical meaning and is used as a simple predicate.

Mary is going to school now.

is is an auxiliary verb because it has lost its lexical meaning and is used as a component part of an analytical form in a simple predicate.

Mary is a pupil.

is is a link verb because it has partially lost its lexical meaning and is used in a compound nominal predicate.

1. They were singing a song.

2. She sounded a bit annoyed.

3. I am in Lviv now.

4. Tom worked for that firm for a year.

5. She is a teacher.

6. Will Ann come next Friday?

7. He looked happy.

8. I’ve just seen him.

9. In five years we will be teachers.

10. The train arrived at 5 yesterday.

Exercise 3.

(a) Say whether the verbs in bold type are transitive or intransitive verbs.

Model. He wrote a letter.

to write is a transitive verb because it has a direct object a letter.

She works very hard.

to work is an intransitive verb because it does not have a direct object.

1. We live in London.

2. He never follows my advice.

3. The students listened to their lecturer attentively.

4. My father often reads newspapers in the morning.

5. His pronunciation improved greatly.

6. Usually I begin my work at 9 o’clock.

7. He improved his pronunciation greatly.

8. The ship approached the port.

9. They entered the University in summer.

10. Do you hear any noise?

(b) Using a good dictionary group the following verbs into dynamic and stative verbs. Make up your own sentences with them.

Model. to sleep is a dynamic verb because it denotes an action and that is why it can be used in the Continuous and the Perfect Continuous forms.

She is sleeping now.

to agree is a stative verb because it denotes a state that is why it cannot be used in the Continuous and the Perfect Continuous forms.

My sister never agrees with me.

to ask, to believe, to free, to wag, to poach, to wail, to be, to point, to like, to form, to have, to notice, to clean, to see, to say, to admire, to wonder, to write, to explain, to do.

Exercise 4.

Comment on the grammatical categories of the verbs in bold type.

Model. He speaks good English.

speaks is a form of the verb which is used in the 3^rd person singular, in the Present Indefinite Active, in the Indicative Mood.

Come here!

come is a form of the verb which is used in the Imperative Mood.

John, if I were you I would do it.

were is a form of the verb which is used in the Active Voice, in the Subjunctive Mood.

1. Open the door.

2. He was invited to the concert.

3. She likes tea.

4. If I were you I would go there at once.

5. Please, sit down.

6. The car has been repaired.

7. Who is she dancing with?

8. Listen, I would have done it long before but I had no time.

9. The conference will be held next month.

10. Mary will help him if he asks.

Exercise 5.

Comment on the verbs in bold type using the model.

Model. He does his homework in the evening.

does is a form of a simple, irregular, dynamic, transitive verb which is used in the 3^rd person singular, in the Present Indefinite Active, in the Indicative Mood.

Whitewash the wall.

whitewash is a form of a compound, regular, dynamic, transitive verb which is used in the Imperative Mood.

If only you listened to me!

listened is a form of a simple, regular, dynamic, intransitive verb which is used in the Active Voice, in the Subjunctive Mood.

1. I saw her in the park yesterday.

2. Just rewind that tape, would you.

3. She has been waiting for him for two hours.

4. The essay was rewritten again.

5. Jane’s car turned the corner and disappeared from view.

6. If I were given a chance, I would partake in that concert.

7. Hey everybody, listen up!

8. He was going down to the store to get some milk.

9. If only he were here!

10. If you blackmail a man who has nothing to hide, you get nothing.