Definitions
Sorry, no definitions found. Check out and contribute to the discussion of this word!
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word subjunctive case.
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
hernesheir commented on the word subjunctive case
A use of the subjunctive case in English (I believe, but grammarians correct me if wrong) is recorded here:
"I had been warned by a trusted nurseryman that a tree grown from seed would not produce walnuts till it were 15 years old." - or is it a case of imprecise grammar used by the speaker?
The Countryman, a British quarterly agricultural journal, Winter, 1956, p. 744.
September 30, 2009
rolig commented on the word subjunctive case
This sounds very strange to me. I would say, "till it was 15 years old". I think someone has made a mistake.
By the way, verbs don't have cases; they have tense and mood, among other things (Slavic verbs also have aspect). The standard term is "subjunctive mood". "Case" refers to nouns: nominative, genitive, etc.
September 30, 2009
Telofy commented on the word subjunctive case
On “as if�? rolig furnished me with some very insightful insights into the use of the subjunctive mood.
The subjunctive mood is one more thing I learned primarily thanks to The Book of the New Sun two years ago. :-)
September 30, 2009
yarb commented on the word subjunctive case
There are some UK dialects, especially rural ones, which use were instead of was, and this was much more common in 1956 than it is today (though it's still common in some places). I suspect that's what we're seeing here. Is this the editorial voice, or is this some yokel speaking?
September 30, 2009
gangerh commented on the word subjunctive case
When I asked old Ronnie how he could possibly be so sure that Jasper (a Muscovy duck) was 29 years old, he said "Ee, lad, I've had 'im since 'e were egg".
September 30, 2009
sionnach commented on the word subjunctive case
Who names their Muscovy duck "Jasper"? Shouldn't he be called something like "Pavel Pavlovich" or "Ivan Ivanovich" or "Donald Donaldovich"?
September 30, 2009
bilby commented on the word subjunctive case
Sasha.
September 30, 2009
milosrdenstvi commented on the word subjunctive case
I'm pretty sure subjunctive mood is only in conditional statements. Or maybe that's just my Greek coming out.
September 30, 2009
gangerh commented on the word subjunctive case
His mother, Daphne, 'nach. He did name one of his sons Herzogovina.
September 30, 2009
reesetee commented on the word subjunctive case
I'm with yarb. I've heard it used thus.
October 1, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word subjunctive case
It used to be correct that way. I like it; it's archaic- and Shakespearean-sounding. :)
October 1, 2009