8.2. The other subjunctive moods 8.2.1. The subjunctive mood of "wish" "Wish" is often used with the subjunctive mood because the meanings are close to the unrealness. "Hope" is similar to this, but it is not used with the mood, because it has the possibility. See the following examples. (10) a. I wish I had a car for personal use. b. I wish I knew her address. c. I wish I were a bird. The above consists of "wish" and the past subjunctive mood, these means the present but these are impossible. (10a) means the speaker can not have the car, (10b) means s/he can not know it and (10c) means s/he can not be the bird. These time representation is as follows. (11) It needs two time line since the subordinate clauses are the noun clauses. The past subjunctive mood is parallel to the lower line which has temporary (M) and (E) derived from the speaker's feeling (Cf. 8.1.2.). Now, since the subjunctive mood is not relative to the sequence of tense, although "wish" is changed into the past tense, the verb of the subordinate clause is not changed. See the following examples. (12) a. I wished I had a car for personal use. b. I wished I knew her address. c. I wished I were a bird. (*32)
The next examples are used with the subjunctive past perfect. It means the past unreal event. (13) a. I wish I had been more careful when I was using the machine. b. She wishes she had married another man. (13a) means the speaker was uncareful in the past and (13b) means she is regretful that she chose him. The time representation is as follows. (14) The subjunctive past perfect is parallel to the lower line. The nest example is the same. (15) I wish I had bought that stock. The above means the speaker's regretful feeling. S/he did not buy the stocks but it is increased now. Now, the subjunctive mood is not relative to the sequence of tense, especially English does not have the further past form of the past perfect form. See the following examples. (16) a. I wished I had been more careful when I was using the machine. b. She wished she had married another man. The time representation is as follows. (17) The lower time line is not influenced. |
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