Oblique (Indirect) Moods
The function of the oblique moods is to represent something in the speaker’s mind not as a real fact but as a wish, purpose, supposition, doubt or contradiction, problematic or contrary to fact. When the speaker expresses his wish by using one of the oblique moods, he merely communicates to the hearer what he considers desirable. This is the main difference between the oblique moods and the imperative. When using the imperative mood the speaker directly urges the person addressed to fulfill his order or request.
| Be quiet! | Here I want to produce an immediate effect, to bring about some actual changes in the existing state of things; I want a noisy person to become quiet as the result of my urging him to be so. |
| I wish you were quiet. | Here I merely inform the hearer of what I consider desirable, indicating at the same time that my wish contradicts the actual state of things (= you are not quiet). |
| I wish it were spring all the year round. | Here I communicate to the hearer a desire of mine which is a matter of mere imagination and can never be fulfilled. |
| It is impossible that he should have saidsuch a thing. | Here I express my doubt with regard to his having said such a thing. |
| If itwere notsocold,Ishould goout. | It is cold and I don’t go out; I only imagine the possibility of my going out if the weather were different from what it actually is. |
| It is necessary that you should go there. | Here I make a statement of what I consider to be indispensable, leaving the question of its realization open. |
There are four oblique moods in Modern English, of which two are synthetical and two analytical.
The synthetical moods are: the Subjunctive I and the Subjunctive II.
The analytical moods are: the Conditional and the Suppositional.
Exercises:
1. Define the forms given in bold type and say what they express: 1) facts, 2) commands and requests, 3) non-facts.
1. Roy unpackedthree bundles of pelts from his rucksack and lay them under the mattress of the brassbed.
2. Leadme somewhereaway from everybody.
3. “I wish I were with you,” she said.
4. “If you sight him, Fleur, stop dead.”
5. She watched the convulsive movement of his thin brown hands, clasped as if he were standing at ease, and her whole heart went out to him…
6. “Please,” I begged, “don’t be polite.”
7. “I’ll go down to the corner and get some dinner for both of us. Do leave me.”
8. If a man were madeof glass, he wouldstill bevisible.
9. If you consider it right, say so.
Find in an English text:
· 3 sentences with verbs in the Indicative Mood expressing actions or states presented as facts.
· 3 sentences with verbs in the Imperative Mood expressing actions or states presented as commands or requests.
· 3 sentences with verbs in the Indirect (Oblique) Mood expressing actions or states presented as non-facts (wish, purpose, unreal condition, etc.).
THE SUBJUNCTIVE I MOOD
The Subjunctive I presents an action as hypothetical (problematic) but not as contradicting (contrary to) reality. It is used to express wish,necessity,demand,order,request,suggestion,purpose,concession and the like.
The Subjunctive I has only one form, which formally coincides with the infinitive without the particle “to”. It is used in affirmative and negative sentences. The negative particle “not” stands before the verb, e.g.: I insist (that) he come at once. I insist he not come.
The Subjunctive I is used both in independent sentences or clauses and subordinate clauses. In the first case it expresses:
a ) wish, e.g. Long live sovereign Ukraine. Success attend you!
b) concession, e.g. So be it. Come what will.
c) requests or orders (with the subject of an action expressed by the pronouns “somebody”, “someone”, “everybody”), e.g. Somebody (someone) fetch a piece of chalk. Everybody leave the room.
d) imprecations, oaths, e.g. The devil take him!
The Subjunctive I is also used in so-called formulaic expressions, e.g. Suffice it to say…. Otherwise it is sometimes called the formulaic subjunctive.
The use of the Subjunctive I in the sub-clauses can be presented by the following scheme:
| Types of Subclauses | Examples |
| 1. Subject clauses introduced by the anticipatory (introductory) “it” followed by: a) a compound nominal predicate expressed by a non – emotive (neutrally coloured) adjective, such as: necessary, important, imperative, etc. b) a predicate expressed by a verb in the passive voice c) after the expressions “It’s high time”, “It’s about time”, “It’s time” | It is necessary (that) he stay at home. It is important (that) you be on time. It is imperative (that) I talk to him. It was decided that this committee be set up. It is requested (required )that nobody enter the room. It’s time we go. |
| 2. Object clauses a) with the meaning of demand, order, advice, insistence, proposal, etc. introduced by the conjunction “that” b) with the meaning of fear introduced by the conjunction “lest” | I demand that John go there at once. We propose/recommend that Mr. Smith leave. The headmaster suggested that I join the drama club. They feared lestJohn miss the train. She worried lest there be something wrong with her health. |
| 3. Predicative clauses with the meaning of demand, order, advice, proposal, wish, fear, insistence, etc. | Our advice was that Henry agree to their proposal. The fear lest he disregard her request and bring unpleasant people with him almost drove her mad. Her wish was that she be told how to become young again. |
| 4. Attributive appositive clauses. | My strident demands that the film be kept safe were naturally ignored. The girl’s insistence that they give her another chance to improve was taken into consideration. |
| 5. Adverbial clauses of purpose introduced by the conjunction “lest” | We erected this memorial lestour children forget. Try to help him lest the failure discourage him. |
| 6. Adverbial clauses of problematic (hypothetical) condition (very rare). | If the plant be rare, its discovery gives me joy. |
| 7. Adverbial clauses of problematic (hypothetical) concession (very rare). | “…Our hearts must be hard, if they are not, we die, though we be alive. |
The Subjunctive I is widely used in American English. In British English its use is regarded obsolete (archaic). Here it is used in high style: in slogans, proclamations, calls, also in some set (stereotyped) expressions. But lately a revival of the Subjunctive I has been observed in present – day English.
THE SUPPOSITIONAL MOOD
The Suppositional mood is formed with the form of the auxiliary “should” for all the persons of both numbers and the infinitive (analytical forms). It has two tenses – Present and Past. The Present Suppositional consists of “should” and a non-perfect infinitive, e.g. I should go, he should go, for example: I suggested we should meet here. The Past Suppositional consists of “should” and a perfect infinitive, e.g. I should have gone, he should have gone, for example: Maggie was frightened lest she should have been doingsomething wrong. The Suppositional Mood is most often used in the present tense, because demands, orders, requests, and the like refer to the present and future.
As to its meaning the Suppositional has much in common with the Subjunctive I. In the majority of the cases of its use it presents, like the Subjunctive I, actions which are hypothetical (problematic) but not contradicting reality. But unlike the Subjunctive I, the Suppositional Mood occurs only in subordinate clauses. The cases of the use of the Suppositional Mood side by side with the Subjunctive I are as follows:
| Types of Subclauses | Examples |
| 1. Subject clauses after the principal clauses denoting subjective appraisal of the action or situation described in the subordinate clause. The subject of such principal clauses is usually expressed by the pronoun “it”, the predicate is: a)compound nominal and includes adjectives and nouns with modal meaning: neutrally coloured, such as: necessary, important, essential, imperative, etc. – in this case the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I: | It is necessary (that) we (should) be present. It is important (that) you (should) help your friend. It is imperative (that) you (should) keep the engagements. |
| emotionally coloured – adjectives and nouns giving estimation of the action or situation described in the subordinate clause from the speaker’s point of view such as: desirable, advisable, natural, surprising, strange, curious, doubtful, cruel; It’s a pity; It’s a shame, etc. – in this case only the Suppositional Mood Present or Past is used:[1] | It is cruel that I should make him suffer. It is funny that we should have forgotten all about it. It’s a shame that she should prompt me every time I start to speak. It’s a pity that we should have quarrelled |
| b) expressed by a verb in the passive voice – in this case the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I: | It was decided that all the students (should) prepare Home – Reading reports. It is requested (required) that the meeting (should) not be cancelled. |
| c) after the expressions “It’s high time”, “It’s about time”, “It’s time” – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I (and the Subjunctive II) | It’s time we (should) go/went to bed. It’s high time he (should) be/were more serious. |
| 2. Object clauses a) with the meaning of demand, order, advice, insistence, proposal, etc. introduced by the conjunction “that” – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I. | He insisted that the young actress (should) star in the play in the coming season. He requested that she (should) partner him. We ask that you (should) listen to our convincing arguments. |
| b) with the meaning of fear (to fear, to be afraid, to be anxious, to be in terror, to tremble, to dread, etc.) introduced by the conjunction “lest” – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I. [2] | They passengers were terrified lesttheship(should) catch fire. She worried lest Jane should have caught a cold in the open car. |
| c) with the meaning of astonishment, regret, satisfaction (to be astonished, to be pleased, to be sorry, etc.) – only the Suppositional Mood is used here, they all being emotive phrases. | I’m astonished that she should have said so. I was pleased that she should like the book. I’m sorry you shouldn’t have liked the play. |
| d) after the structures: to think it necessary to believe it advisable to consider it important to find it desirable to feel it strange, etc. – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I. | I find it natural that she should want to be a teacher. They consider it understandable that he should have left without saying good-bye. |
| 3. Predicative clauses with the meaning of demand, order, advice, proposal, wish, fear, insistence, etc. – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I. | His suggestion was that their plan (should) be turned down. Her fear waslest he should have changed his mind. Her wish was that everything (should) be cleared up before the meeting. |
| 4. Attributive appositive clauses – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I. | Your advice that he (should) wait till next week is reasonable. Our fear lesthe should have given away our secret was great. |
| 5. Adverbial clauses of purpose introduced by the conjunction “lest” – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I.[3] | The girl whispered these words lest somebody (should) overhear her. She opens the window lest it (should) be stuffy in the room. |
| 6. Adverbial clauses of problematic (hypothetical) condition[4] - the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I. | If you should meet him, give him my best regards. If you should find another way out, will you inform me? |
| 7. Adverbial clauses of problematic (hypothetical) concession – the Suppositional Mood is used side by side with the Subjunctive I. | Though it (should) rain, we shall have to go. Whatever he (should) say, I will not change my decision. |
Note 1: Rather many scholars don’t recognize the Suppositional Mood (N. Kobrina, L. Barkhudarov, M. Blokh and others). In particular, M. Blokh regards the combinations “should + Infinitive” of this kind as modal equivalents of the subjunctive mood.
Note 2: There is a point of view that the Suppositional Mood is more typical of British English and the Subjunctive I of American English, though in both variants the indirect moods are mostly used in formal style. In conversational English (both BE and AE) other structures may be used:
She advises him to change the job.
He proposed the government to holdan inquiry.
It’s essential for every student to haveequal chances.[5]
THE SUBJUNCTIVE II MOOD
The Subjunctive II Mood presents an action or state as unreal, contradicting reality. It has two tenses: Present and Past. The Present formally coincides with the Past non-Perfect of the Indicative Mood (the peculiarity is that the form WERE is used for both singular and plural): were, came, went, etc. In other terminology it is sometimes called the Non – Factual (Unreal) Past Simple. The Past Subjunctive II Mood formally coincides with the Past Perfect Indicative: had been, had come, had gone, etc. It is otherwise termed the Non – Factual (Unreal) Past Perfect. The present of the Subjunctive II is used when the time of the action (state), which is imaginary, is simultaneous with the moment of speech, e.g. “If only he were here now! “ or follows it, e.g. “I wish he came tomorrow”. The Past of the Subjunctive II expresses an imaginary action (state) which precedes the moment of speech, e.g. “If only he had been here then!” She looked as if she had been ill for long.
The Subjunctive II is used both in independent sentences (clauses) and sub-clauses. In the first case it denotes:
a) wish (in sentences beginning with “oh, if” and “if only”, e.g. If I were well now! If only I’d listened to my parents.
b) advice (in the set expressions “had better (best)”, e.g. “You had better go home and get your supper, Gertrude”. She’d better not gohome alone so late.
c) choice, preference (in the set expressions “would rather (sooner)”, “had rather”, e.g. Which would you rather do, go to the cinema or stay at home? I’d raher not answer this personal question.
The Subjunctive II in subclauses can be presented by the scheme:
| Types of clauses | Examples |
| 1. Subject clauses after the expressions “it’s time”, “it’s high time”, “it’s about time”. | It’s high time we went.It’s time she didn’t confuse our names. |
| 2. Object clauses after expressions of wish.[6] | I wish I were a bird. I wish he hadn’t quarreled with his parents. “I wish this voyage would never end,” Dana murmured. |
| 3. Object clauses after the expression “would rather”. | I’d rather you did the washing up. I’d rather she hadn’t accepted that offer. |
| 4. Clauses introduced by the conjunctions “as if”, “as though”: a) predicative – after the link-verbs to be, to seem, to look, to feel, to sound, to taste, to smell, etc. b) comparative c) attributive appositive | It isn’t as if you were fifteen. She felt as though she were being followed. It smelt as if something had been burnt in the kitchen. “You look at me as if I were talking about nonsense”. He spoke English fluently as though it had been his mother tongue since childhood. He had a feeling as if his wife were in danger. She had a look as though she had been starving for a long time. |
| 5. Clauses of unreal condition.[7] | If John were here, he would know. (pattern I) Had you listened to me, you would not be in such a trouble now. (pattern II)[8], [9] |
| 6. Clauses of unreal concession introduced by the conjunctions “even if”, “eventhough”. | Even if he were here, he wouldn’t help us. Even though he had proposed, she wouldn’t have become his wife. She disliked him at that time. |
THE CONDITIONAL MOOD
The Conditional Mood presents an action as a consequence of an unreal condition expressed or implied.
The Conditional Mood has two tenses – Present and Past. The Present Conditional formally coincides with the Future non-Perfect in the Past: I should go, he (she, it) would go. We should go, they would go and is consequently called the Non – Factual (unreal) Future Simple in the Past. The Past Conditional formally coincides with the Future Perfect in the Past: I should have gone, he (she, it) would have gone. We should have gone, they would have gone and is otherwise termed the Non – Factual (unreal) Future Perfect in the Past. The rules of the use of tenses here are the same as those of the use of tenses of the Subjunctive II.
TO BE REMINDED: The tendency is very strong to use “would” in the first person too, e.g.: I would go. But the use of “should” instead of “would” is a bad mistake.
The Conditional Mood is used both in independent clauses and complex sentences. In the first case it is used in simple sentences:
a)with an implied condition, e.g.: “Miss Dombey Florence! I would die to help you”. I would never have thought so.
b)containing “but for”, e.g.: But for my splitting headache I would gladly join you. He would have been there still but for his marriage. Usually “but for” opens the sentence.
c)containing “otherwise/or”, e. g.: He had some spelling mistakes in his test, otherwise he would have gota top mark. The cake has burnt, or it would be delicious.
d)with the subject expressed by an infinitival phrase, e. g.: To be late for the class would be outrageous. To have refused then would have meantto offend the hostess.
In complex sentences the Conditional Mood is used in the main clauses with a sub-clause of unreal condition and unreal concession, e. g.: If he hadn’t left her alone in the street, shewouldn’t have got into a trouble. Even though you were the only girl on the Earth, I wouldn’t marry you.
The Use of the Oblique Moods in Simple Sentences
| Type of a Mood | Meaning | Examples |
| 1. The Subjunctive I | 1. wish 2. concession 3. commands or requests (with the subject expressed by compound indefinite pronoun) 4. oaths, imprecations | 1. Success attend you! 2. So be it! 3. Somebody go and buy the book. 4. Manners be hanged! |
| 2. The Subjunctive II (Present and Past) | 1. unreal wish (after the phrases “If only…”, “Oh, if…”, “Oh, that…” 2. choice, preference 3. advice | 1. If only I could sing well! 2. It is raining heavily. I would rather stay at home. 3. You had better go to the library. |
| 3. The Conditional (Present and Past) | 1. an implied condition 2. after “but for” + noun, gerund or gerundial construction 3. after “or, otherwise” 4. after the infinitive as the subject. | 1. I should like to talk briefly on the problem… 2. But for her laziness she would have passed the exam better. 3. Come earlier. Otherwise you would miss the train. 4. To have gone there yesterday would havechanged all our plans. |
Exercises:
1. Express advice in the following situations:
Model: He is short of breath. – He had better not walk for a long time.
1. He has insomnia. 2. She has some unfamiliar symptoms. 3. Something is wrong with her heart. 4. The child is crying. 5. A woman has lost her purse. 6. I have a sore throat. 7. I am thirsty. 8. My eyes give me much pain. 9. The child does not want to fall asleep. 10. A small girl is being naughty.
2. Paraphrase the following sentences, using “had better”.
1. I advise you to get down to business at once if you want things done in time. 2. I don’t advise you to sit long in the sun. 3. The one sensible thing for him to do is to tell them the whole truth. 4. I think you should take a warm coat with you to be on the safe side. 5. Tell her that it would be more useful for her to read the book in the original than in translation. 6. I think he should go away on a short visit some place, it would do him good. 7. The only sensible thing for you to do, I think, is to look through the paper again before handing it in. 8. I shouldn’t advise you to make a fuss about such a little thing. 9. If you want to get well, you should obey the doctor’s orders. 10. Take my advice and don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
3. Express choice (preference) in the following situations:
Model: I don’t want to take pills. – I’d rather drink a glass of hot milk with honey.
1. I don’t like my English teacher. 2. I don’t like this faculty. 3. It is too hot. 4. I don’t like my figure. 5. Something is wrong with my mobile phone. 6. I don’t like this DVD player. 7. I am ill. 8. I don’t like this medicine. 9. He made an appointment. 10. I have a terrible headache.
4. Translate the sentences into English using the forms of Subjunctive II expressing either choice /preference or advice.
Model: a) I’d rather stay here for a while;
b) You’d better go home right away.
1. Вам було б краще відпочити. 2. Я, мабуть, не зміню свого вирішення. 3. Нам краще відправитися на прогулянку прямо зараз. 4. Вам би краще сходити до лікаря не гаючи часу. 5. Мені б краще розповісти Адаму про те, що трапилось. 6. Ми, мабуть, вважали б за краще виконати цю роботу інакше. 7. Я вважав би за краще залишитися тут, ніж їхати туди. 8. Вам би краще змінити відношення до того, що діється навколо вас. 9. Їм би краще розпочати усе з початку. 10. Вони вважали б за краще запобігти помилок, які зробили ви.
5. Paraphrase the sentences so that to express an unreal wish:
Model: I didn’t visit the British Museum last time. – Oh, if I had visited the British Museum last time.
I can’t ski. –Oh, if I could ski.
1. I didn’t make note of the departure time of the plane. 2. You are so untactful! 3. Luke forgot to turn off the water heater when he left. 4. Don’t interrupt me when I’m trying to make a point! 5. You reacted so rudely to Mary’s comment at the meeting. 6. I wonder if Harriet will join us on the excursion this weekend. 7. You don’t pay attention to what I’m saying! 8. I didn’t (couldn’t) buy tickets for “Donbass Arena” opening ceremony. 9. She didn’t tell me she was going away. 10. I can’t read his mind. I don’t know what he is thinking about.