 Re: English Grammar
The subjunctive is dying out in English. In British English it survives in the expression "If I were...", but even that is now being replaced by "If I was..."
The subjunctive has survived a bit better in American English, but is on the way out there, too. All of the sentences so far mentioned -- by you and lhn -- are acceptable, but the subjunctive ("...the wine not be chilled...", "...he improve...") is probably considered more correct in American English. Bill Bryson, in Troublesome Words, asserts that after verbs of command or request, the subjunctive is the only correct form and that the British always get it wrong, but I think he's overstating the case. He suggests that using the "should" construction is a good solution to the problem. |