The Common Aspect

(to speak)

Present	Past
I should speak he would speak we should speak you would speak they would speak	I should have spoken he would have spoken we should have spoken you would have spoken they would have spoken

The Continuous Aspect (to speak)

Present	Past
I should be speaking he would be speaking we should be speaking you would be speaking they would be speaking	I should have been speaking he would have been speaking we should have been speaking you would have been speaking they would have been speaking

Analytical moods and modal phrases

Not any combination of should and would with the i n f i n i-i v e is the conditional or suppositional mood. In the analytical mood forms (the conditional and the supposi­tional) the verbs should and would lose their lexical meaning and urn into mere auxiliaries.

When the verbs should and would preserve their lexical meaning (would—volition, should—obligation) they form modal p h r a ses (compound verbal predicate):

If I were in your place, I should think as you do (the condi­tional mood; should think is a simple verbal predicate; the verb should has lost its lexical meaning and is a mere auxiliary of mood).

It is necessary that he should help us (the suppositional mood, should help is a simple verbal predicate; the verb should has lost its lexical meaning and is a mere auxiliary of mood). If it were not so late she would stay a little longer (the conditional mood; would stay is a simple verbal predicate; the verb would has lost its lexical meaning and is a mere auxiliary of mood)

You should consult a doctor (a modal phrase; should consult is a compound verbal predicate; the verb should preserves its own lexical meaning and expresses here advice or admonition; the verb should is itself in the present tense of subjunctive II).

I knocked but they would not open the door (a modal phrase; would not open is a compound verbal predicate; the verb would has its own lexical meaning of volition and is in the past tense of the indicative mood).

If you would repeat the question, I should be much obliged to you (a modal phrase; would repeat is a compound verbal predicate; the verb would has its own lexical meaning of volition—if you would re­peat means that the action depends entirely on your consent; it is a form of polite request: the verb would is here in the present sub­junctive II).

You should see the play (a modal phrase; should see is a com­pound verbal predicate; should has its own lexical meaning, here of advice and is in the present subjunctive II).

The Tenses of The Oblique Moods

The tenses of the oblique moods (subjunctive II, the condition­al, and the suppositional) are relative tenses; they do not refer the action to a certain point of time (present, past or fu­ture) but merely indicate that the action of the verb in the oblique mood coincides in time with the action of the verb in the principal clause which is in the indicative mood, or pre­cedes it.

The present tenses of the oblique moods (present sub­junctive II, present conditional, present suppositional) serve to indicate simultaneousness. T h e past tenses ( past subjunctive II, past conditional and past suppositional) are used to indicate priority.

1. Simultaneousness:

a)In the present:

You look as if you were ill. It is strange that he should think so. I wish I were at home.

b) In the past:

You looked as if you were ill. It was strange that he should think so. I wished I were at home.

c) In the future:

After so many sleepless nights you will look as if you were ill.

2. P r i о г i t y:

a) In the present:

You look as if you had been" ill for a long time. It is strange that he should have thought so. I wish I had been at home.

b) In t h e p a s t:

You looked as if you had been ill for a long time. It was strange that he should have thought so (on some previous occasion). I wished I had been at home (when the telegram came).

c) In the future:

If you tell her all about it she will look, or pretend to look, as if she had never heard of such a thing before. Owing to their retrospective character (priority to some other action) the past tenses of the oblique moods are sometimes used to refer an action actually to the past; correspondingly the present ten­ses sometimes refer an action to the present.

This takes place in complex sentences of unreal condition where both the principal and the subordinate clause are in the oblique moods (subjunctive II and conditional). Present: If he were here, he would help us. Past: If he had been here, he would have helped us.

The same refers to complex sentences with con­cessive clauses introduced by the conjunctions even if, even though where in both the principal and the subordinate clause the oblique moods (subjunctive II and conditional) are used:

Present: Even though he were present, he would not be able to help us.

Past: Even though he had been present, he would not have been able to help us.

But if a complex sentence with a conditional or concessive clause on a principal clause with a verb in the indicativemood, the tenses of the oblique moods (subjunctive II and condi­tional) again indicate mere simultaneousness or priority to the ac­tion of the verb in the principal clause.

Simultaneousness: I am sure (was sure) that if she knew your address, she would write to you.

Priority: I am sure (was sure) that if she had known your address she would have written to you.

Note.—The difference between real and unreal condition may be lost in reported speech.

Unreal condition: Real condition: He said: "If I had time, I should go." He said: "If I have time, I shall go." He said that if he had time he would go. He said that if he had time he would go.

Simultaneousness: I know (knew) that even though he were present he would not be able to help us.

Priority: I know (knew) that even though he had been present he would not have been able to help us.

The Use of the Oblique Moods (Subjunctive I, Subjunctive II, Conditional, Suppositional)

Simple Sentences

In simple sentences the following oblique moods are used:

1. To express wish:

a) Subjunctive I is used in a few isolated expressions as a survival of the old use of this mood to express wish:

Long live our great Soviet country! Long live the forces of peace! Be ours a happy meeting!

Not e.—Subjunctive I may be replaced by may+i n f i n i t i v e (a modal phrase):

May our great Soviet country live long, May ours be a happy meeting!

b) Subjunctive II is used in sentences beginning with Oh, (that) . . . (literary style):

Oh, that the storm were over! Oh, were he only here!

2. In sentences expressing concession we find subjunc­tive I:

So be it! Come what will! Be this as it may! Happen what may!

Not e.—Subjunctive I. may be replaced by let+i n f i n i t i v e (a modal phrase):

Let it be so!

3. To express commands or requests subjunc­tive I is used but only when the subject is an indefinite pronoun (somebody, everybody, etc.) or the partitive combination one of you,

etc.:

Somebody go and fetch me a piece of chalk. One of you go and tell her to come. Everybody leave the room!

Not e.—Subjunctive I may be replaced by let+i n f i n i t i v e (a modal phrase):

Let somebody go and fetch me a piece of chalk. Let one of you go and tell her to come.

In the older periods of the English language subjunctive I was used to ex­press commands and requests in the 1st and 3rd person (with any subject): Part we in friendship from your land. (Scot t.)

Later subjunctive I was replaced by let+i n f i n i t i v e, surviving only in those cases where the subject was an indefinite pronoun (somebody, everybody, etc.) or the partitive combination one of you, etc.

4. The conditional mood is used in sentences with i m-plied condition:

I should like to speak to you (if I got a chance). I shouldn't care to accept it (if I were offered it). It would be unfair to for­sake him in his trouble (if we forsook him). It would be impos­sible to cross the river in spring flood (if we should attempt to do it).

The use of subjunctive II in sentences of implied con­dition is now only, a literary survival of an old construction:

It were a shame to let this land by lease. (Shakespeare.)

5. Subjunctive II of modal verbs is often used to express that something is desirable, advisable, possible, etc.:

You really should help your friend. He ought to take care of his health. Anyone might see that he is not well. A simple plough could not do this work in a month's time. You should be sorry to leave us so soon.

We find subjunctive II also in the following set expres­sions: had better, had best, had rather, would sooner, would rather would have:

You had better close the window. I had best leave you alone. I had rather not go than go without you. I would rather stay at home. I would rather not see the play than that you should be alone the whole evening. Would you have me tell her a lie?

Note.—Subjunctive II would (now only a poetic survival) is used in the principal clause of a complex sentence to express wish; the subordinate object clause has also subjunctive II (see "The Use of the Oblique Moods in Complex Sentences," p. 176):

I would I were a careless child

Still dwelling in my Highland cave. (В у r о n).

As modal (defective) verbs have no past subjunctive II (see "Mo­dal [Defective] Verbs," p. 195), reference to the past is made by using the perfect infinitive:

You really should have helped your friend. He ought to have done it long ago. Everyone might have seen he was not well.