1. Each employee (is/was) summoned to Adams’ office for what he calls “a little chat.” 2. All the workers (know/will know) that the “chat” is all on Adams’ side. 3. Adams (likes/like) to discuss baseball, the economy, and the reasons no one (will/would) receive a raise. 4. “(Is/Was) business good these days?” he always says. 5. He always (mentions/will mention) that he may have to make personal sacrifices to save the company. 6. Sacrifices! He (means/meant) that he (earns/will earn) only a million instead of two mil- lion next year! 7. Maybe he (replaced/will replace) the linen napkins in the executive dining room with paper. 8. After the chat, the employees always (go/will go) out for some conversation of their own. 9. (Does/Do) they review Adams’ performance in the most candid way? 10. Everyone (believe/believes) that the company needs new leadership. Taking Command: Imperative Mood I studied a couple of foreign languages in college, and I remember a major headache arriv- ing right around the time I tried to learn the imperative mood. Each verb had a bunch of rules on how to form commands — plus irregulars! English is much kinder than those other languages. In English, the command, also known as the imperative mood, is the same whether you’re talking to one person or 20, to a peasant or to a queen. The English com- mand form is the infinitive minus the to. In other words, the unchanged, plain form of the verb. Negative commands are slightly different. They take the infinitive-minus-to and add do not, as in do not snivel, do not blink, and do not blubber. Some examples, with the imperative verb italicized: Stop sniveling, Henry. Pull yourself together and meet your new in-laws. Do not mention our engagement. Prepare to die if they find out we’re getting married! Fill in the blanks with commands for poor Henry, who is meeting his prospective in-laws. The base verb you’re working with appears in parentheses at the end of each sentence. Q. _______________ quietly on the couch, Henry, while I fetch Daddy. (to sit) A. Sit. The command is formed by dropping the to from the infinitive. 11. Henry, _______________ my lead during the conversation. (to follow) 12. If Mom talks about Paris, _______________ your head and _______________ interested. (to nod/to look) 168 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 19_599321 ch13.qxp 4/3/06 11:27 PM Page 168 13. Dad hates bad accents, so _______________ French. (to speak, negative command) 14. _______________ them to show you slides of last year’s trip to Normandy. (to ask) 15. _______________ asleep during the slide show, if you can help it! (to fall, negative command) 16. _______________ some of Mom’s potato salad, even if it’s warm. (to eat) 17. _______________ about unrefrigerated mayonnaise and the risk of food poisoning. (to talk, negative command) 18. When she ignores you and serves the potato salad anyway, just _______________ an appointment with your doctor and _______________ quiet. (to make/to keep) 19. _______________ them good night and _______________ them for a lovely evening. (to wish/ to thank) 20. _______________ that we won’t visit them very often after the wedding. (to remember) Telling Lies or Being Passive: Subjunctive Mood The subjunctive is a very big deal in some languages; whole terms were devoted to it in my college Spanish class. Fortunately for you, in English the subjunctive pops up only rarely, in two situations: condition-contrary-to-fact and indirect commands. Condition-contrary-to-fact means that you’re talking about something that isn’t true. If I were famous, I would wear sunglasses to hide my identity. (The verb were is subjunctive.) Had I known the secret password, I would have passed the bouncer’s test and entered the club. If I had not punched the police office, I would have avoided jail. Notice that the subjunctive changes some of the usual forms. In indicative, the pronoun I is paired with was (see the section on indicative mood earlier in this chapter for more detail). The switch to were in the first sample sentence tells you that you’re in fantasy land. Referring to the first sample sentence, I must confess that I’m not famous, though I do wear sunglasses. In the second and third sample sentences, the had does more than its usual indicative job, which is to place events earlier in the past than other past-tense events. (See Chapter 1 for more details on this use of had.) Instead, in a subjunctive sentence the had also means that I didn’t know the secret password, the bouncer muttered something about “getting in when it snows in July,” and I was forced to go the 19th Precinct instead of danc- ing with sports stars and supermodels. Condition-contrary-to-fact sentences always feature a would form of the verb. In standard English, the would form never appears in the part of the sentence that is untrue. Subjunctive verbs also express commands indirectly, as in these sentences, in which the subjunctive verb is italicized: The bouncer requested that he remove himself from the line as soon as possible. The club owner declared that guests wearing unfashionable clothes be denied entry. 169 Chapter 13: Are You and Your Verbs in the Right Mood? 19_599321 ch13.qxp 4/3/06 11:27 PM Page 169 Subjunctive, indirect commands are formed by dropping the to from the infinitive. In the first sample sentence, the pronoun he normally (that is, in indicative mood) pairs with removes. In subjunctive, the infinitive to remove loses the to and becomes remove. In the second sample, guests pairs with be, which is created by dropping to from the infinitive to be. The indicative form would be guests are. Write the correct verb in the blank for each exercise in this section. The verb you’re work- ing with appears in parentheses after each sentence. Just to keep you honest, I tucked in a few sentences that don’t require subjunctive. Keep your eyes open. Q. If Ellen _______________ for her turn at the wheel, she wouldn’t have wrapped her car around that telephone pole. (to prepare) A. had prepared. The had creates a subjunctive here, because Ellen didn’t prepare for her road test. Instead, she went to a drive-in movie, as a passenger. 21. The motor vehicle tester asked that Ellen _______________ ready for her exam at 9 a.m. (to be) 22. The test would have gone better if Ellen _______________ a morning person. (to be) 23. “If it _______________,” explained the instructor, “you will be required to take the test as soon as the roads are plowed.” (to snow) 24. If the snow plow _______________ the entire route, Ellen would have passed. (to cover) 25. Unfortunately, the supervisor of the snow-removal crew declared that the highways _______________ cleaned first. (to be) 26. Terrified of ice, Ellen requested that the examiner _______________ her test. (to postpone) 27. If he _______________, Ellen would have taken the test on a sunny, warm day. (to refuse, negative form) 28. If Ellen _______________ about the examiner, the motor vehicle department would have investigated. (to complain) 29. If an examiner _______________ unfair, the motor vehicle department schedules another test. (to be) 30. The department policy is that if there _______________ a valid complaint, they dismiss the examiner promptly. (to be) 31. If Ellen _______________ the test fives times already, she would have been more cheerful about her grade. (to take, negative form) 32. If in the future Ellen _______________ to another district, she may have more luck. (to go) 33. Not every county, for example, cares if the driver _______________ into a tree. (to skid) 34. If only Ellen _______________ to Smithsburg, she would have a license already. (to travel) 35. Smithsburg requires that a driver _______________ “reasonable competency” and nothing more. (to demonstrate) 170 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 19_599321 ch13.qxp 4/3/06 11:27 PM Page 170 Calling All Overachievers: Extra Practice with Moody Verbs If you master the three moods (cranky, irritable, ready to bite someone’s head off), try your hand at this exercise. The progress report in Figure 13-1 has some serious mood problems. Check out the underlined verbs, circle the ones that are correct, and cross out and correct the ones that are in the wrong mood. Progress Report: Coffee Break Control From: Ms. Bell, Coffee Break Coordinator To: Ms. Schwartz, Department Head Re: Coffee Break Control July 31, 2006 As you know, I were now in charge of implementing the new directive that every employee submits to a coffee-residue test. If a test were given at a time when coffee- sipping were not authorized and the results were positive, the policy require that the worker “donates” a pound of coffee to the break room. Do not asked me to describe the union’s reaction to this directive. If I would tell you what the shop steward would have said, you had blushed. All I would say is that the steward were not happy. Would you have known about the reaction before issuing the directive, you would have had reconsidered. One more thing: the coffee stains on my shirt, if they were to come out, should not make you thought that I were drinking coffee outside of the official break time. These stains result from coffee being thrown at me. Figure 13-1: This progress report contains some verbs that are in the wrong mood. 171 Chapter 13: Are You and Your Verbs in the Right Mood? 19_599321 ch13.qxp 4/3/06 11:27 PM Page 171 172 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use Answers to Verb Mood Problems a is. The sentence speaks of an on-going situation, so present tense is best. b know. The workers have been through this “chat” many times, so the act of knowing isn’t in the future but in the present. c likes, will. The present-tense form for talking about someone (Adams, in this sentence) is likes. The future-tense verb will explains that in the coming year, as always, employees will be shop- ping in the bargain basement. d Is. The expression these days is a clue that you want a present-tense verb that talks about some- thing or someone. e mentions. If an action always occurs, present tense is the best choice. f means, will earn. The boss is talking about the future (the clue is next year). The talking takes place in the present (so you want means), but the earning is in the future (hence, will earn). g will replace. The maybe creates a hypothetical situation, wondering what the boss will do in the future. h go. An on-going situation calls for present tense. i Do. The subject they calls for the plural form. j believes. Although everyone sounds like a plural, it’s actually a singular pronoun requiring a singular verb. k follow. The command is formed by stripping the to from the infinitive. l nod, look. Drop the to and you’re in charge, commanding poor Henry to act interested even if he’s ready to call off the engagement rather than listen to one more story about French wine. m don’t speak or do not speak. The negative command relies on do. n Ask. Poor Henry! He has to ask, which in command form is ask. o Do not fall. Take to from the infinitive and add one do and you have a negative command. p Eat. Henry’s in for a long evening, given the command Eat, which is created by dropping to from the infinitive. q Don’t talk or Do not talk. The negative command needs do or it dies. r make, keep. Drop the to from each infinitive and you’re in imperative mood. 19_599321 ch13.qxp 4/3/06 11:27 PM Page 172 173 Chapter 13: Are You and Your Verbs in the Right Mood? s Wish, thank. The imperative verbs are created by subtracting to from the infinitives. t Remember. Somehow I doubt that Henry will forget this fact, but to order him, take to from the infinitive. u be. The subjunctive is needed for this indirect command, expressed by the verb asked. v were. Ellen likes to sleep until mid-afternoon. As she’s not a morning person, the subjunctive verb were expresses condition-contrary-to-fact. The verb were is better than had been because Ellen still is not a morning person, and had been brings in the past. w snows. Surprise! This one isn’t subjunctive. The instructor is talking about a possibility, not a condition that didn’t occur. The normal indicative form, snows, is what you want. x had covered. The plow didn’t finish (the clue here is would have passed), so subjunctive is needed. y be. An indirect command is created by the verb declared. The subjunctive be fits nicely. A postpone. The indicative (the normal, everyday form) of to postpone is postpones, when the verb is paired with examiner. Here the indirect command created by requested calls for the sub- junctive postpone. B had not refused. The examiner stood firm: Take the test or die. Thus the first part of this sen- tence is condition-contrary-to-fact and calls for the subjunctive. C had complained. Ellen said nothing, as revealed by the conditional would have investigated in the second part of the sentence. Subjunctive is the way to go! D is. Did I get you here? The possibility expressed in the if portion of the sentence calls for a normal, indicative verb (is). Stay away from subjunctive if the statement may be true. E is. The first part of this sentence is not condition-contrary-to-fact. It expresses a possibility and thus calls for the normal, indicative verb (is). F had not taken. She has taken it five times, so the statement isn’t true and needs a subjunctive. G goes. Here the sentence expresses a possibility. She may go and she may have more luck. Stay away from subjunctive if the sentence may be true. H skids. As in sentence 32, this one talks about something that is true (or may be true). Go for the normal indicative and give the subjunctive a rest. I had traveled. She didn’t travel, and she (thank goodness) doesn’t have a license. This condi- tion-contrary-to-fact sentence needs the subjunctive. J demonstrate. The verb requires tips you off to the fact that subjunctive is appropriate for the indirect command. 19_599321 ch13.qxp 4/3/06 11:27 PM Page 173 . _______________ interested. (to nod/to look) 1 68 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 19_599321 ch13.qxp 4/3/06 11:27 PM Page 1 68 13. Dad hates bad accents, so _______________. year! 7. Maybe he (replaced/will replace) the linen napkins in the executive dining room with paper. 8. After the chat, the employees always (go/will go) out for some conversation of their own. 9 _______________ about unrefrigerated mayonnaise and the risk of food poisoning. (to talk, negative command) 18. When she ignores you and serves the potato salad anyway, just _______________ an appointment