Jose Carillo's English Forum
English Grammar and Usage Problems => Use and Misuse => Topic started by: Lyndon Tidlos Gabato on January 01, 2018, 03:05:25 PM
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Hi Joe,
I just want to know if the subjunctive verb is still strictly used today or not anymore.
"I wish I were a butterfly" is certainly subjunctive, but would it be fine if someone can just say "I wish I was a butterfly"?
Thank you in advance.
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You ask if we can just say "I wish I was a butterfly" instead of the subjunctive form "I wish I were a butterfly." You actually can often get away with it, but not if you have listeners who are knowledgeable and more discerning about English grammar. You see, a subjunctive sentence is one that denotes unreal acts or states that are contingent on possible outcomes of the speaker’s wish, desire, or doubt. Such sentences stick to the past-tense subjunctive form “were” all throughout, regardless of the person and number of its subject. In contrast, the sentence "I wish I was a butterfly" is in the indicative mood, which means that a human being turning into a butterfly is a real-world possibility--which of course it isn't.
As if you've read my mind, I have actually scheduled a series making a full-scale review of the subjunctive by the second half of this month (January 2018). Watch for it!