Lesson 20—Mood problems 1. The subjunctive mood The mood of a verb indicates the factuality or urgency of an action or state of being. Every verb in English takes one of three moods. Verbs in the indicative mood indicate something real or factual, as in you are going. Verbs in the subjunctive mood indicate something hypothetical, conditional, wishful, suggestive, or counter to fact, as in I wish you were going. Verbs in the imperative mood indicate a direct command, as in Go! The only mood that we sometimes get wrong is the subjunctive mood. The SAT Writing might contain a question or two involving verbs in the subjunctive mood, but they are not very common. You should recognize the common situations in which the subjunctive mood must be used, and know how to change the form of the verb accordingly. A verb that is in the subjunctive mood is usually accompanied by auxiliaries like would, should, might, and may. When the verb to be is in the subjunctive mood, it usually takes the form were or be. www.cracksat.net 2. Don’t overdo it In English, the subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. This means that the rules for altering verbs are not as strict as they are with a tense. Sometimes a sentence gives enough clues about the subjunctivity of a verb so that auxiliaries are unnecessary. Other times, the subjunctive form sounds too archaic. Don’t use subjunctive forms if they make the sentence sound awkward or archaic. If that be so, we may see dramatic changes in the market. The sentence indicates a condition, so the verb be is in subjunctive form. But today this form is considered archaic. It is now standard English to keep the verb in the indicative mood, even though the situation is subjunctive. If that is so, we may see dramatic changes in the market. 3. Watch your ifs The past subjunctive construction if…would have is non-standard. Use the construction if…had instead. If he would have arrived a minute sooner, he would not have missed her. www.satpanda.com The first verb is subjunctive, but proper idiom does not include the auxiliary would. If he had arrived a minute sooner, he would not have missed her. 4. Tip for improving your essay As you write, avoid non-standard subjunctive phrasing like If I would have studied or I wish I went. (Say If I had studied or I wish I had gone.) Frankly, mood problems are unlikely to be a big deal to the essay readers, but such egregious errors don’t leave a good impression. 5. Tip for the multiple-choice questions The most common indicator of the subjunctive mood is the word if. When you see a clause that follows the word if, or a clause that is clearly suggestive or wishful, make sure that the verb is in the subjunctive mood, so long as it doesn’t sound terribly awkward. Subjunctive practice Circle the correct verb form in each of the following sentences. 1. If our wide receiver (was/were) a little faster, he would be more open in the secondary. 2. As a matter of fact, Theo (was/would have been) only six years old when the Civil War began. 3. Denny would be more successful if only he (promoted/would promote) himself. 4. The brochure suggested that we (are/be) at the camp first thing in the morning. 5. I wish that my horse (were/was) not so lethargic this morning. 6. If the goalie (would have/had) lifted his glove even slightly, the puck would have gotten through. 7. He acted as though the concert hall (was/were) filled with screaming fans. 8. I wish that summer camp (was/were) two weeks longer. 9. If the class (would have/had) voted against it, we would not have been given the chance to visit the museum. Circle the verb(s) in each sentence. If the verb mood is incorrect, fix it. www.cracksat.net 10. We were very doubtful that Jonna will get the part, since she was sick during her audition. 11. If I was in Paris, I’d probably spend most of my time in cafés. 12. If I would have known that the food was so good here, I would have come sooner. 13. The coach demanded that we were in bed by eleven o’clock. 14. Yvonne spoke as if she was a medieval serf complaining about her master. 15. Gina wished that she would have chosen the red dress instead of the pink one. 16. The professor spoke to us as if he was a member of the British Parliament. 17. I would have wanted to have seen the countryside, but I was sick in bed for the entire vacation. 18. Had I found his wallet, I would have returned it to him immediately. 19. If only the doctor would have told me to cut back on eating red meat, I would have complied. Answer Key Subjunctive practice 1. If our wide receiver were a little faster… (The verb indicates a conditional situation.) 2. As a matter of fact, Theo was only six years old when the Civil War began. (The sentence indicates a fact, so the subjunctive mood is inappropriate.) 3. Denny would be more successful if only he would promote himself. (The verb indicates a situation that is counter to fact.) 4. The brochure suggested that we be at the camp first thing in the morning. (The verb indicates an indirect command.) www.satpanda.com 5. I wish that my horse were not so lethargic this morning. (The verb indicates a wishful situation.) 6. If the goalie had lifted his glove even slightly, the puck would have gotten through. (This is proper subjunctive idiom.) 7. He acted as though the concert hall were filled with screaming fans. (The verb indicates a situation that is counter to fact.) 8. I wish that summer camp were two weeks longer. (The verb indicates a situation that is counter to fact.) 9. If the class had voted against it, we would not have been given the chance to visit the museum. (This is proper subjunctive idiom.) 10. We were very doubtful that Jonna would get the part, since she was sick during her audition. (This verb expresses a doubtful situation.) 11. If I were in Paris, I’d probably spend most of my time in cafés. (This verb expresses a conditional situation.) 12. If I had known that the food was so good here, I would have come sooner. (This is proper subjunctive idiom.) 13. The coach demanded that we be in bed by eleven o’clock. (This verb expresses a suggestion.) 14. Yvonne spoke as if she were a medieval serf complaining about her master. (This verb expresses a situation that is counter to fact.) 15. Gina wished that she had chosen the red dress instead of the pink one. (This is proper subjunctive idiom.) 16. The professor spoke to us as if he were a member of the British Parliament. (This verb expresses a situation that is counter to fact.) 17. I wanted to see the countryside, but I was sick in bed for the entire vacation. (This verb expresses a fact, so the subjunctive mood is incorrect.) 18.Had I found his wallet, I would have returned it to him immediately. (The sentence is correct.) 19. If only the doctor had told me to cut back on eating red meat, I would have complied. 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