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Do the British use the subjunctive mood?
Seriously. I once found myself explaining the subjunctive mood to 4 or 5 British former co-workers. None of them had ever heard of it, nor made proper use of it in speaking, which is how the subject came up. I'd dismiss that as just everyday unfamiliarity with an arcane bit of schooling among normal people who are not grammar geeks, but just now I saw this phrase in a UK newspaper (the Telegraph): "If I was you...". Can any grammatically-informed British subject give me the scoop? [Note: using subjunctive mood, one should say "If I WERE you..."]
2 Answers
- MelLv 79 years agoFavorite Answer
Even in this country, awareness and use of the subjunctive mood will be limited to an educated elite or grammar buffs. I'm sure the same condition prevails in Britain (I studied there earlier in my life). So I am not surprised your British co-workers were not aware of its appropriate use in contexts contrary to fact (your example) and for hypothetical conjecture ("What if the earth WERE farther from the sun....?"
Source(s): M.A., English - Anonymous9 years ago
My English teacher told me to always use the subjunctive mood in conditional propositions. And she was British, so I'd find it difficult to believe that Brits don't use it or at least won't acknowledge its existence.
