Correct verb usage in subjunctive clauses

[Capt. Grammar]

I bid you a good day, Rockpage. It has recently come to my attention that many people here are unsure of the correct verb usage in their subjunctive clauses. A subjunctive sentence is that in which a statement is put forth that is not true, at least at the present time. When stating a subjunctive clause, the correct verb is "were."

For example:

"I wish we were playing the gig earlier tonight."

"He wishes he were using the EAW subs instead of the JBLs."

"If that song were more diatonic, you would be playing the mixolydian scale over the V7 chord."

The incorrect way of stating these sentences would be to use the word "was."

"I wish we was playing the gig earlier tonight."

"He wishes he was using the EAW subs instead of the JBLs."

"If that song was more diatonic, you would be playing the mixolydian scale over the V7 chord."

You're welcome.

[Stoner269]

The miracle of Capt. (Wikipedia) Grammar.

Verb Conjugation 101

I'm having 3rd grade flashbacks here.... hehe...

Thinking back on it, I was in 3rd grade in 1973 so maybe it is a legit flashback.. hmmmm....

Makes one wonder? Our lunch lady was a little spacey....

[songsmith]

I bid you a good day, Rockpage.
For example:

"He wishes he were using the EAW subs instead of the JBLs."

"If that song were more diatonic, you would be playing the mixolydian scale over the V7 chord."[/i]

The incorrect way of stating this sentences would be to use the word "was."


"He wishes he was using the EAW subs instead of the JBLs."

"If that song was more diatonic, you would be playing the mixolydian scale over the V7 chord."[/i]

You're welcome.

At the risk of raining grammatical hell upon myself, I have a question:

The subject, "he," is singular. Wouldn't the word, "was" be correct, instead of "were" which suggests a plural? Same for the subject of the second sentence, "song."

Thanks in advance for setting me straight on this usage, Captain. I always wonder about it. -------------->JMS

[PanzerFaust]

Don't do it SSmith... Don't fall into his trap.. hehe..

"Was" versus "Were" isn't plural or singular it relates to "tense" remember the old "past" "present" etc etc....

Dammit now you got me doing it !! hehe....

You think that's bad I took 6 years of German and they have person, tense, AND gender for their verbs, so you gotta remember if it's male or female... to boot!!

[sixstringdrop]

I reckon yuall r over Analyzing Tis Shiot

[PanzerFaust]

I reckon yuall r over Analyzing Tis Shiot

I agree... hehe... BTW are you from Frogtown?

I was curious if any other languages made you further identify gender like German and they do, but German is the only one with no rhyme nor reason... a chair could be male, a book could be female, and a desk could be neutral and it would all be a different verb conjugation... The closest we have to this in English is the example of calling a ship "she"....

[metalchurch]

Panzer, is this a Desk?

[PanzerFaust]

To be sure you'd have to take a peek in the "drawers" hehe.....

Dammit you set me up for that didn't you??

[metalchurch]

Yeah you know your furniture!

That was an awesome reply...

Check the drawers! That's great.

[PanzerFaust]

Of course you know what to check the drawers for right???

....


....




.....


WOOD!!!


hehe.....

[metalchurch]

Yeah no shit! Haha

[PanzerFaust]

Well actually you may look for "wood" I look for the lack thereof. hehe....

[metalchurch]

Or a reasonable facsimile of.

Or where wood once resided.

[songsmith]

I took Spanish in junior high... yeah, gender is necessary on lots of verbs and adverbs. French, too, I think. Is German a romance language? Is it based on Latin?
These are the questions that haunt my mind. Trivial tidbits I will likely never use in my day-to-day. If it means nothing, ::points at head:: , it's in there. -------------->JMS

[HurricaneBob]

I took Spanish in junior high...

I took acid in junior high...

[PanzerFaust]

I took Spanish in junior high... yeah, gender is necessary on lots of verbs and adverbs. French, too, I think. Is German a romance language? Is it based on Latin?
These are the questions that haunt my mind. Trivial tidbits I will likely never use in my day-to-day. If it means nothing, ::points at head:: , it's in there. -------------->JMS

Yes I watch Jeopardy every night and get answers and think where the hell did I get that??.... Jesus I'm full of useless knowledge hehe... and myself !! hehe...

No German is not one of the "Romance Languages" which is why I believe the gender is more difficult than French, Spanish, Italin etc etc the languages that were "bastardized" latin.. Not to be confused with Pig Latin..

Ixnay on the EBay.. hehe...

modern standard German is a mix of old high and low German and has few origins in other languages...

[PanzerFaust]

I took Spanish in junior high...

I took acid in junior high...

Bobber to use a quote of your own giving full props and acknowledging the hilarious nature of the quote.....

And the FuckTards come out of the Wood work... hehe...

Peace, Tood

[HurricaneBob]

My freakin guts hurt from your post's the last couple days tood...

[PanzerFaust]

Yea I'm definetly in my manic phase!!

That or too much Iced Tea...

I just loved that quote of yours from last week so short sweet and appropriate.. hehe...

Now had this not been RP I might have tried to pass that on as my own... hehe.... or as a name brand joke....

[songsmith]

Know what I like about German? It's so guttural and sharp. I bet if you said,"I have tea parties with dolls," in German, it'd sound frickin' brutal. You could have skinheads Zieg-Heil-ing and chanting that their panties have pink ribbons, and nobody would know. Hitler was probably reading a phone book in those old rally newsreels. ---->JMS

[metalchurch]

Yeah, like fear of the unknown.

There's a Black Sabbath tribute band that sing's their songs in Latin, and it sounds awesome as well.

Du Has?

Nah!!

[Plastered Bastards]

I took acid in junior high...

Me too, alot of it

[PanzerFaust]

Yea it's definetly easy to sound "Uber Metal" singing in German.. hehe..

Look at Rammstein and Toten Hosen...

MetalChurch......

I love Du Hasst''''

http://herzeleid.com/en/lyrics/sehnsucht#du_hast

This site hits on it a little but the true beauty of it is the play on the German words Du Hasst (You "hate" me) and Du Hast (Do you "have"/"take" this man) Part of the traditional wedding vows..

So basically by singing "Du Hasst" he's asking Do you hate me or do you love me enough to marry me

du hast mich gefragt, und ich hab nichts gesagt..

You ask me but I don't answer...

same sentiment as Pantera's "This Love" sorta..

But as my girlfriend always points out as I'm blasting Rammstein "You like this shit cause you understand it!! I don't get it so turn it down" hehe

[YankeeRose]

The incorrect way of stating THESE sentences would be to use the word "was."

Where is the original, one and only Grammar?



(:shock: Joe, your RP "costume" is a riot! )

[lonewolf]

Capt. Grammar, do you have any associates that can provide us with a treatise on

Internet Message Board Reading Comprehension

?