The Subjunctive Mood with the combination But for…

The Subjunctive Mood is used after the combination But for + noun (gerund, pronoun) which expresses negative unreal conditions referring to the present or past.

We use the Analytical Subjunctive Mood: Future Simple-in-the-Past for hypothetical situations in the present.

e.g. But for you (If it weren’t you) I shouldn’t mind.

We use the Analytical Subjunctive Mood: Future Perfect-in-the-Past for hypothetical situations in the past.

e.g.

But for the parents (If it hadn’t been the parents) she would have left the town long ago.

But for John (If John hadn’t played well) we would have lost the match.

The Subjunctive Mood with the combination If only…

The Subjunctive Mood is used in emphatic adverbial clauses of unreal condition after the combination If only. So, we express a wish for a different action or a regret about an action.

The Subjunctive Mood (Past Indefinite) is used to express simultaneity of the action in the object clause with that of the principal clause. The most common meaning is a wish for a situation to be different.

e.g. If only I had more money.

The Subjunctive Mood (Past Perfect) is used to express priority of the action in the object clause to that of the principal clause. The most common meaning is a regret about some previous actions.

e.g. If only I had listened to you.

The Analytical Subjunctive Mood, or the Conditional Mood, (Future Simple-in-the-Past) is used to express succession of the action in the object clause to that of the principal clause. The most common meaning is a wish for a following situation to be different.

e.g. If only the sun would come out.

The Subjunctive Mood with as if…

The Subjunctive Mood is used in predicative clauses after link verbs be, feel, look, seem (in the principal clause) and in adverbial clauses of comparison (or manner) introduced by the conjunctions as if and as though, which is more literary.

The Subjunctive Mood (Past Indefinite) is used to express simultaneity of the action in the adverbial clause with that of the principal clause.

e.g. Tom looks as if he were hungry.

She speaks about him as if she knew him well.

She greeted him as if he were her brother.

The Subjunctive Mood (Past Perfect) is used to express priority of the action in the adverbial clause to that of the principal clause.

e.g. Tom looks as if he hadn’t eaten for days.

Lucy cried as if she had lost all hope.

She spoke about him as if she had known him for years.

The Subjunctive Mood with as though…

The Subjunctive Mood is used in predicative clauses after link verbs be, feel, look, seem (in the principal clause) and in adverbial clauses of comparison (or manner) introduced by the conjunctions as if and as though, which is more literary.

The Subjunctive Mood (Past Indefinite) is used to express simultaneity of the action in the adverbial clause with that of the principal clause.

e.g. He looked as though he knew it to be true.

It seemed as though Ann heard it for the first time.

Bob smiled as though he liked it.

The Subjunctive Mood (Past Perfect) is used to express priority of the action in the adverbial clause to that of the principal clause.

e.g. The house looked as though it had been deserted for weeks.

It seemed as though Ann had never heard it.

She shook hands with him as though they had known each other all their lives.