Comments on: Subjunctive tense? http://dumpendebat.net/2007/01/16/subjunctive-tense/ A sniff in the kortevar, that what you cry for, yeled? A prert up the cull, a prang on the dumpendebat? Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:34:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: dumpendebat http://dumpendebat.net/2007/01/16/subjunctive-tense/comment-page-1/#comment-6308 dumpendebat Wed, 17 Jan 2007 20:49:55 +0000 http://dumpendebat.net/2007/01/16/subjunctive-tense/#comment-6308 I still haven't heard from T. Noah, and I don't think I ever will. I'm sure he thinks I was defending O.J., or doing something other than asking him to restate his point in better English. Or perhaps he thinks "note the absence of the subjunctive tense" was just too clever for the likes of me ("Eat your heart out, Bill Safire!"). Oh, well. Maybe he's right. I still haven’t heard from T. Noah, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m sure he thinks I was defending O.J., or doing something other than asking him to restate his point in better English.

Or perhaps he thinks “note the absence of the subjunctive tense” was just too clever for the likes of me (”Eat your heart out, Bill Safire!”). Oh, well. Maybe he’s right.

]]> By: Hanque http://dumpendebat.net/2007/01/16/subjunctive-tense/comment-page-1/#comment-6307 Hanque Wed, 17 Jan 2007 20:33:51 +0000 http://dumpendebat.net/2007/01/16/subjunctive-tense/#comment-6307 That's a tough one man. Q: Does Noah mean that O.J. asserted that he knows what happened, instead of saying what might have happened? A: My guess is yes, he's asserting that OJ knows what happened. Q: Does Noah think the phrase what might have happened, or something similar, would be an example of “the subjunctive tense”? A: Yes to this too. My guess on this is that "what happened" refers to the outcome, but not necessarily to the process that resulted in the outcome. It's poorly written and the "note the absence of the subjuntive tense" part only makes it less clear. Have you heard back from him? That’s a tough one man.

Q: Does Noah mean that O.J. asserted that he knows what happened, instead of saying what might have happened?

A: My guess is yes, he’s asserting that OJ knows what happened.

Q: Does Noah think the phrase what might have happened, or something similar, would be an example of “the subjunctive tense”?

A: Yes to this too.

My guess on this is that “what happened” refers to the outcome, but not necessarily to the process that resulted in the outcome. It’s poorly written and the “note the absence of the subjuntive tense” part only makes it less clear.

Have you heard back from him?

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