Ch. 7 VERB,TENSE, MOOD(3rd Ed-Sent Correction)

by **Deepak** Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:58 pm

QUE: Subjunctive Pairing
Page 150 - que 12-17

* I can differentiate between a hypothetical subjunctive mood (e.g. would) and an indicative mood (e.g. will/may) - fine

* Present Perfect (have/has+PP) AND Past Perfect (HAD+pp) is fine too (depending on the timing of the action)

QUE: NOT SURE how subjunctive pairing is defined
e.g.
The solution in the new guide says:
#12. "were(present tense of the hypothetical subjunctive mood) - is(present tense of the indicative mood)"
#13. "Swallowed is in the present tense of the hypothetical subjunctive mood..."
#14. "Swallows is in the present tense of the indicative mood..."
What is the relation between the different tenses and the 2 different moods? Are we supposed to know the definition of what verb tense applies for a given mood?

by **JonathanSchneider** Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:47 am

I've moved this to the proper forum.

by **JonathanSchneider** Sun Dec 07, 2008 12:47 pm

Sorry for getting to this just now.

Tense and mood are separate concerns. I think you're getting tripped up by thinking that when a verb is in a certain tense then it must also be in a certain mood. In fact, tense and mood, like voice, are individual aspects of a verb.

Let's take a look at #12 and #13 to clear this up a bit:

In #12, we want the indicative mood. Why? It is not because of the tense. Rather, it is because of the meaning of the sentence. We are discussing a true property of water. We are using an if/then clause to say that if one thing happens, the next will follow. This is a scientific scenario; we do not mean to imply doubt.

In #13, on the other hand, the sentence means to suggest that Helen is NOT the daughter of the speaker. THAT is the reason that we want to use the subjunctive mood. It has nothing to do with what tense we had used at any point.

Clearer?