changing the verb form

[learner110]

hi,

should i change the form of verb while changing the subjunctive into reported speech. take the following sentence as an example:


james says, "mother insists that i eat breakfast."

can i change it as, james said that his mother insisted he ate the breakfast.

where ate is a subjunctive verb.


thanks

 

[Mr. Spivey]

can i change it as, james said that his mother insisted he ate the breakfast.

This is not the subjunctive mood. To make the subjunctive mood out of your first sentence, try this:

James's mother insists that he eat breakfast.

In the subjunctive mood, you want to use the simple form of a verb. Refer to this page for a good overview.

But I will note that, as a language learner, you don't need to focus on mastering the subjunctive until the very end of your studies. It's a contested mood, actually, and some grammarians propose getting rid of it altogether. It's hardly used, and then hardly used properly.