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Unreal Time and Subjunctives

The document discusses the use of unreal past tenses and subjunctives in English. It explains that the past tense is sometimes used to refer to hypothetical or wished-for present/future situations, as in "if dogs had wings." It provides examples of contexts that trigger unreal past usage, including conditional sentences with "if," expressions of wishes or preferences, and phrases like "it's time." The document also discusses subjunctive usages after verbs like "demand" and in fixed expressions like "God save the Queen."

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Hernan Golub
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166 views4 pages

Unreal Time and Subjunctives

The document discusses the use of unreal past tenses and subjunctives in English. It explains that the past tense is sometimes used to refer to hypothetical or wished-for present/future situations, as in "if dogs had wings." It provides examples of contexts that trigger unreal past usage, including conditional sentences with "if," expressions of wishes or preferences, and phrases like "it's time." The document also discusses subjunctive usages after verbs like "demand" and in fixed expressions like "God save the Queen."

Uploaded by

Hernan Golub
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UNREAL TIME AND SUBJUNCTIVES

The past tense is sometimes used in English to refer to an unreal situation. Although
the tense is the past, we are usually talking about the present, e.g. in a Type 2
conditional sentence:

If dogs had wings, they would be able to fly.

Although had is in the past tense, we are not referring to the past - we are talking
about a hypothetical situation. We call this the unreal past.

Other situations where this occurs are:


§  After other words and expressions like ‘if’ (suppose/supposing, if only, what if,
imagine)
§  After the verb ‘to wish’
§  After the expressions I’d rather; I’d prefer; It’s time….

It's (high) time


The above expression is followed by past simple or continuous, though the time
referred to is unreal.

It’s time we left. It’s high time I was going.


It's high time you hung up your trainers and started exercising your mind, not your
body.

Wishes
▪ Present/Future time
The verb to wish is followed by an unreal past tense when we want to talk about
situations in the present that we are not happy about and would want to change a
present/future state.

      I wish I had a motorbike. (I don’t have one now.) 


      I wish you weren’t leaving. (You are leaving.)

▪ Would
Would is used when the speaker wants somebody or something else to change, or to
describe an annoying habit.

      I wish he would stop smoking.        


      I wish it would stop raining. 
      I wish you wouldn’t make such a mess.
▪ Past time
As with present wishes, when we refer to situations in the past we are not happy about
or about actions that we regret, the verb form after wish is one stage further back in
the past, so we use wish followed by the past participle. Same is used after if only to
express regrets.

I wish I hadn’t said that.(but I did)             If only I hadn’t eaten so much. (but I did)

▪ Hope
Wishes about simple future events are expressed with hope.

I hope it doesn’t (won’t) rain tomorrow.     


I hope you(‘ll) have a lovely time in Portugal (on your holiday next week).         

I’d rather/I’d prefer (followed by a clause)


▪ I’d rather is followed by past verb forms in the same way as wishes about the present.
It expresses preference about actions.
I’d rather you didn’t smoke in here.

Both I’d rather and I’d sooner are used with normal verb forms when comparing
nouns or phrases.
I’d rather be a sailor than a soldier. (present)
I’d rather have lived in Ancient Greece than Ancient Rome. (past)

▪ I’d prefer can be used in the same way, but note that prefer in this type of sentence
has an object it.
                  I’d prefer it if you didn’t go.

      However, I’d prefer is not followed by an unreal verb form in other situations.
                  I’d prefer tea to coffee.
                  I‘d prefer you to go swimming (rather than go jogging).

As if, as though – Real and unreal


The verb form used with as if/as though depends on whether the situation is true or
unreal.
                  You look as if you’re having second thoughts. (True. He is having second
thoughts.)
                  He acts as if he were in charge. (Unreal. He isn’t in charge)

Note, however, that the more colloquial like does not require this verb form change.
Compare:
                  You look like you have just seen a ghost.
                  You look as if you had just seen a ghost.

Suppose and imagine – Understood conditions


The conditional part of these sentences is often understood but not stated.
                  Imagine we won the lottery!
                  Suppose/supposing someone told you that I was a spy!
                  Imagine we had never met! (we have met)

As with conditional sentences, if the event referred to is a real possibility, rather than
imaginary, a present verb form is possible:
                  Suppose it starts raining, what’ll we do?

Formal Subjunctives - Insisting, demanding, etc.


After verbs such as demand, insist, suggest, require which involve an implied
obligation, the subjunctive may be used in formal style. This has only one form, that
of the infinitive, and there is no third person –s, or past form. The verb be has be for
all forms.

They demanded that he leave at once.


The school Principal suggested that he be awarded a scholarship.

Formulaic Subjunctives
These are fixed expressions all using subjunctive. Typical expressions are:
                  God save the Queen!
                  Be that as it may …
                  Come what may ….
                  Suffice it to say ….
                  Far be it from me …but

be that as it may: (formal) despite that. Synonym nevertheless. E.g. I know that he
has tried hard; be that as it may, his work is just not good enough. 

come what may: despite any problems or difficulties you may have. E.g. He promised
to support her come what may. 
  
suffice (it) to say (that)… used to suggest that although you could say more, what
you do say will be enough to explain what you mean. E.g. I won't go into all the
details. Suffice it to say that the whole event was a complete disaster. 

Far be it from me to do something: something that you say when you are giving
advice or criticizing someone and you want to seem polite. It is not really my place to
do something. (Always followed by but, as in the example.) Far be it from me to tell
you what to do, but don't you think you should apologize? Far be it from me to tell
you what to do, but I think you should buy the book.

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