English Writing - The Subjunctive Mood...

ed-u.com - Your Start Page for Education!

Mystery Shoppers Needed Now... Get paid to shop and eat for free! Find out how to join our hugely popular Mystery Shopping Club (now over 8 years old!). Please enter (and check) your e-mail address in the box below and press submit (Sorry, UK, US and Canada only):   Choose a page below...  Education Resources: Homepage | Web Search Education Resources Art | Film | Dance | Bands Countries of the World Digs UK | US | Canada Finance | Economics/Biz Homework Helpers | Exams Kiddies Korner | Tots | Pets Jobs UK/EU | US | Canada Medicine and Health Museums and Galleries Mystery Shopping Club PE | Sports | Sporting Events Power & Politics | Civil Rights Print Media, TV and Radio Problems and Advice Shops | Fashion | Books Subjects | Religion | Language Technology Education & ICT Teens | Just for Fun Travel | Destinations Schools UK | US | Canada Unis/Colls UK | US | Canada  Special Features: Essays - Full Writing Course What is Bullying? Stress in Teaching Drugs  Guest Contributors: The best Dad? You're an Idiot! Slave Caster of Freedom Out of the mouths of babes The Right to Life? The Nostradamus Hoaxes Explaining terrorism to a child Internet 2 a scam? Break a Rule, Bad Girl Britannica near extinction? The 1st time I really lied Nigerian Scam Letters Singular turns plural English Writing In debt? Too busy at work? Bullying... Our Stories Start to live your dreams Recognize your potential Stop worrying, please! Public speaking Elegant resumes In praise of black sheep Ritalin - Straight-jacketing?  Webmasters' Education: Start here - Why me? Slow pages equal more traffic ed-u.com's full list of pages The Mystery Shopping Club (Operated by ed-u.com) Are you a student over 18? Part-time teacher? Parent? Just someone that needs some extra income? Some free food and drinks perhaps? Would you like to pick your own hours? Some free food and drinks perhaps? Would you like to pick your own hours? To find out about casual employment opportunities in the "Secret Shopper" industry, please choose one of the following links: Click here for the Mystery Shopping Club UK or USA or Canada

The Transatlantic Education Mega-Site... We invite you to add ed-u.com to your list of favorites/bookmarks. Internet Explorer users please click here, and others, right click here -> ed-u.com. Also, you can learn how to make any ed-u.com page your start page by clicking here.   Web ed-u.com Audiomagazine.com You've taken the time to learn French, German, Italian or Spanish! You've spent money on various self study tape courses! You've attended a language course abroad! Why risk loosing the language by not keeping it up to date? Why not join the thousands of intermediate and advanced language students on six continents who use Champs-Elysées, Schau ins Land, Puerta Sol, and Acquerello italiano to stay in touch with the languages and cultures they love. An outdated grammar rule: the subjunctive. Let's trash it. By Guest Writer Laraine Anne Barker How many times as a child was I puzzled when a singular pronoun suddenly turned plural. Why, I wondered, should it be "If I were you?" Well, it's simply because we're in the subjunctive mood. "So what on earth," I hear you ask, "is the subjunctive mood? It sounds like a form of deep depression!" Frankly, that's a good way to describe the effect it has on me. It pulls me right out of the story. Anything that pulls a reader out of a story has to be a bad thing. If it also puzzles a child reader, it's a positive crime. The subjunctive mood is quite simply a form of the verb when a writer stops dealing with real things about which we can argue ("The King is alive", "Mary is here") and starts dealing with uncertainties such as wishes, commands and unreal circumstances ("Long live the King", "if only Mary were here"). We're so accustomed to "If I were you" that it doesn't sound so odd-- though it baffled me as a child; nobody ever explained why I was suddenly (and impossibly) more than one person. The subjunctive is an outdated grammar rule that should have died a natural death a long time ago. I'm convinced it's only the extreme pedantry of editors of children's books that has kept it alive. It has no plausible reason for its existence in the 21st century. I found the following (from Margaret Mahy's Underrunners--a book riddled with subjunctives) positively pompous. "As if she were being scribbled out." "As if it were making a grand announcement." There's another good reason for killing off the subjunctive mood: too many writers use it incorrectly: "Mary asked if it were his idea." "If she were French, her accent didn't betray her." Examples of incorrect use from published books--incorrect because the sentences are not in the subjunctive mood: "But if it were in the hydro it was well hidden." (Since "it" is referred to here in the plural as well as the singular, this sentence is extremely clumsy.) From Plague Ship by Andre Norton "If he were wrong, we might then have an excuse to call this crazy thing off." From A Killing Frost by John Marsden Any editor who dares suggests I turn a pronoun (or proper noun) into plural just because I am using the subjunctive mood is in for a hard fight with me. Laraine Anne Barker writes fantasy for young people. Visit her web site for free stories and novel excerpts. Sign up for the Novella of the Month Club, absolutely free! © L A Barker Enterprises. Please visit our next suggested page, Essays. Gradschools.com Search for Worldwide Graduate Programs, discussion, chat... Select your subject from the choices below... Try here if you can't find your subject below Accounting Actuarial Science Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine Administration (Health Sciences, Hospital) Administration (Hospitality, Tourism) Administration (non-profit) Administration (Recreation and Parks) Administration (Sports) Advertising & Public Relations Aerospace, Aeronautical Engineering African American Studies African (Language, Literature, Studies) Agricultural Economics Agricultural Education, Extension Agricultural Engineering Agricultural Sciences Agronomy, Soil Sciences American Studies Anatomy Anesthesiology Animal Sciences Anthropology Archaeology Architectural Engineering Architecture Area Studies Art/Fine Arts Art Education Art History Art Therapy Arts Administration Asian (Language, Literature, Studies) Assistive Technology >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Astronomy and Astrophysics Atmospheric Sciences Audiology and Speech Pathology Biochemistry Bioengineering / Biological Engineering Bioethics, Ethics Bioinformatics Biology (Cancer) Biology (Cellular, Molecular) Biology (Conservation) Biology (Developmental) Biology (Ecology) Biology (Evolutionary) Biology (General) Biology (Marine) Biology (Microbiology, Immunology) Biology (Neurobiology) Biology (Oral) Biomedical Engineering Biomedical Sciences Biometrics, Biostatistics Biophysics Biopsychology Biotechnology Botany (Plant Sciences) Building Science Business Administration (Executive MBA only) Business Administration (MBA) Business Administration (Weekend MBA) Business Administration (Ph.D and D.B.A.) Business Education Business (E-Commerce) Business (International) Business (Management, other) Canadian Studies Central American Studies Ceramic Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Chemistry Child Development Children's Literature Chiropractic Colleges Civil Engineering Classics Clinical Laboratory Sciences Cognitive Psychology Cognitive Sciences Communication Sciences and Disorders Communication Studies Communications (Corporate, Public, Business) Communications (Health) Communications, Integrated Marketing Communications (Interpersonal/Organizational) Communications (Journalism, Mass Media) Communications (Professional Writing/Rhetoric) Comparative Literature Computational Sciences Computer (and Electrical) Engineering Computer Graphics/Multimedia/Electronic Arts Computer Networking and Telecommunications Computer Science Conflict Resolution, Peace Studies Construction Management Construction Science, Engineering Counseling Community Counseling, Educational, Guidance Counseling, Genetic Counseling, Marriage and Family Counseling, Mental Health Therapy (Psychology) Counseling, Pastoral Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, Substance Abuse Conservation Biology Creative Writing Criminal Justice Criminology Criminalistics Cultural, Population, Demographic Studies Dance Defense, National Security Studies Dental (D.D.S.) Dental Hygiene Dental Postdoctoral Design (Fashion, Craft, Textile) Design (Graphic) Design (Industrial) Design (Interior, Environmental) Design (Other) Design (Urban) Developmental Biology Developmental Psychology Digital Media Distance Education Programs Divinity (Theology) Drama and Theater Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counseling E-Commerce Ecology Economic Development Economics Education (all) Education(al) Administration Education - Adult, Continuing Education - Agricultural, Extension Education - Bilingual, Multicultural Corporate Education, Training Education - Counseling, Guidance Education - Curriculum and Instruction Education - Deaf Education - Early Childhood Education - Elementary (K-7/8) Education - Environmental Education Foundations Education - General Education - Gifted Education - Health Education - Instructional Design Education - Instructional Media / Technology Education - International Education(al) Leadership Education(al) - Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation Education - Outdoor Education - Physical Education(al) Policy Education - Post-secondary Education(al) Psychology Education - Reading, Literacy Education - Religious Education(al) Research Education - School Psychology Education - Secondary (8/9 - 12) Education - Special Education - Student Develop/Affairs/Personnel Education - TESOL (TESL) Education - Teaching Art Education - Teaching Business Education - Teaching English Language Education - Teaching Foreign Language Education - Teaching History / Social Studies Education - Teaching Math Education - Teaching Music Education - Teaching Science Education - Teaching (other subjects) Education - Training (Occupational/Corporate) Education - Vocational, Industrial Electrical, Electronic, Computer Engineering Electronic Commerce Emergency Management Engineering (All) Engineering and Technology Management Engineering-other Engineering Physics English Language and Literature Entomology Environmental Education Environmental Engineering Environmental, Occupational Health, Safety Environmental Management Environmental Policy Environmental Science Environmental Studies Epidemiology Ergonomics Ethics Evolutionary Biology Executive M.B.A. Exercise Science (Kinesiology) Family and Consumer Sciences Family Counseling and Therapy Fashion (Design) Film Studies Finance Financial Engineering, Mathematics Financial Planning, Services Folklore / Mythology Food Science Foreign (non-English) Languages, Literature Foreign Service Forensic Psychology Forensic Sciences Forestry French (Language, Literature, Studies) Genetic Counseling Genetics Geographic Information Systems Geography Geo-Engineering (Geomatics/Geotech/Hydrology) Geology and Earth Sciences Geophysics German (Language, Literature, Studies) Gerontology Health Communications Health Education Health Psychology Health Sciences Health Services Research Healthcare Administration Historic Preservation History History of Science and Technology Horticulture Hospitality Administration, Tourism Housing, Housing Studies Human Development Human Factors Psychology Human Resources Human Services Humanities Immunology (and Microbiology) Industrial Design Industrial Engineering Industrial Hygiene Industrial/Organizational Psychology Industrial Technology Information Systems Information Technology Instructional Technology Insurance - Risk Management Integrated Marketing Communications Interdisciplinary Studies Interior Design International Affairs International Business International Development International Health International Relations International Studies International Trade Interpreting and Translation Italian (Language, Literature, Studies) Jewish Studies Journalism Kinesiology Labor and Industrial Relations Landscape Architecture Latin American Studies Law Law, Taxation (LL.M.) Laws, Master of (LL.M.) Leadership Legal Studies Liberal Arts (misc. A & S) Liberal Studies Library and Information Science Linguistics Literacy - Reading Education Logistics Management (Business) Manufacturing Engineering Manufacturing Management Marine Sciences Marketing Marriage and Family Counseling Massage Therapy Materials Science and Engineering Mathematics, Applied Mathematics MBA Programs * McNair Programs Mechanical Engineering Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics Media Studies Medical/Disease Research Medical Doctor Medical Informatics Medical Physics and Radiology Medical Scientist Programs Medicinal Chemistry Metallurgical, Mining Engineering Meteorology Microbiology (and Immunology) Middle Eastern (Language/Literature/Studies) Midwifery * Minority Program Offices Missiology Studies Museum Studies Music Music Education Music - New Media Music Therapy Mythology / Folklore National Security, Defense Native Studies Natural Resource Management Naturopathic Medicine Near Eastern (Language/Literature/Studies) Neurobiology Neuroscience New Media Studies Non-profit Administration Nuclear Engineering Nursing Nursing Administration Nutrition Occupational Health and Safety Occupational Therapy Ocean Engineering Oceanography Operations Research Optics, Optical Sciences Optometry Oral Biology Organizational Communication Organizational Leadership, Studies Organizational Psychology Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Osteopathic Medicine Outdoor Education Packaging Science Paralegal Studies Pastoral Counseling Pathology, Human Pathology, Plant Peace Studies, Conflict Resolution Petroleum Engineering Pharmacology Pharmaceutical Science Pharmacy (Doctor of) Pharmacy Administration, Practice Philosophy Photography Physical Therapy Physician Assistant Physics Physiology, Comparative Physiology, Human Physiology, Plant Planning, Urban, Regional, Community Plant Breeding Plant Pathology Plant Physiology Plant Sciences (Botany) Podiatric Medicine Political Science Polymer Science Population (and Demographic) Studies Portuguese (Language, Literature, Studies) Professional Writing Project Management Psychobiology Psychology - Applied Psychology - Clinical Psychology - Cognitive Psychology - Community Psychology - Counseling/Mental Health Therapy Psychology - Counseling (Ph.D. Programs) Psychology - Developmental Psychology - Educational Psychology - Experimental Psychology - Forensic Psychology - General, unspecified, other Psychology - Human Factors Psychology - Industrial/Organizational Psychology - Quantitative Psychology - School Psychology - Social/Personality Psychology - Sports Public Administration and Public Policy Public Health Public Relations (and Advertising) Publishing Quality, Reliability (Engineering/Management) Radio, Television and Film Recreation and Parks Administration Real Estate Rehabilitation Counseling Rehabilitative Engineering (Assistive Tech.) Rehabilitation Therapy Religion, Religious Studies Religious Education Resource Economics Resource Management Rhetoric and Professional Writing Rural Sociology Russian, Slavic (Language/Literature/Studies) School Psychology Sciences (other) Security Management Sex Therapy Social Sciences Social Work - Master's Social Work - Doctoral Sociology Software Engineering Soil Sciences, Agronomy Spanish (Language, Literature, Studies) Speech-Language Pathology Sports Administration, Management Sports Psychology Sports Science, Kinesiology Statistics Student Develop./Affairs/Personnel (Education) Substance Abuse Counseling Systems Engineering Taxation (Business) Taxation (Master of Laws) Technical Writing Technology (and Engineering) Management Telecommunication Management, Policy Telecom. Engineering/Computer Networks Textile and Polymer Science Textile and Fashion Design Theater, Theatre Arts, Drama Theology Therapeutic Recreation Tourism (Hospitality Administration) Toxicology Training, Occupational and Corporate Ed. Translation and Interpreting Transportation Engineering/Management Urban and Regional Planning Urban Design Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) Veterinary Sciences Virology Vision Sciences Wellness (Health Promotion) Writing, Creative Writing, Children's Literature Writing, Non-Fiction Writing, Professional Women's Studies Zoology and Wildlife Sciences PLEASE CLICK HERE IF YOU COULDN'T FIND YOUR SUBJECT...