Prevalence of the Subjunctive Mood
230. As shown by the wide range of literature from which these
examples are selected, the subjunctive is very much used in literary
English, especially by those who are artistic and exact in the
expression of their thought.
At the present day, however, the subjunctive is becoming less and
less used. Very many of the sentences illustrating the use of the
subjunctive mood could be replaced by numerous others using the
indicative to express the same thoughts.
The three uses of the subjunctive now most frequent are, to express a wish, a concession, and condition contrary to fact.
In spoken English, the subjunctive _were_ is much used in a wish or a condition contrary to fact, but hardly any other subjunctive forms
are.
It must be remembered, though, that many of the verbs in the
subjunctive have the same form as the indicative. Especially is this
true of unreal conditions in past time; for example,--
Were we of open sense as the Greeks were, we _had found_ [should
have found] a poem here.--CARLYLE.
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