Subjunctive_Mood_Swings

[Edward Savitz <sg94cshj -at- DUNX1 -dot- OCS -dot- DREXEL -dot- EDU>]

Subjunctive Mood Swings

Is there anyone out there who uses the subjunctive anymore?

If I were a writer or speaker in a hypothetic situation, I would.

If it were up to me, we would surely speak subjunctively.

As if it weren't bad enough that we dropped _shall_ from our verbal
cache,

_hopefully_ is hopelessly misplaced,

we ask if we _can_ when when we mean _may we?_

Mais oui, quelle dommage,
the damage we do
to language we love.

If only what was
were what is again.


Ed Savitz sg94chsj -at- post -dot- ocs -dot- drexel -dot- edu
(Hopefully this made at least 1/2500th of y'all smile.)