Wordsmith Talk |
About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | |||
Register Log In Wordsmith Talk Forums General Topics Q&A about words grammar question
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Another seldom-used construction with "would" is very much conditional, but the mood is indicated more by the subjunctive (I think) of the main verb:
"I would that she were here now."
There's an implied "if" in this case, since it's clear she is not here now. The "would" injects wishfulness, but it's hard for me to see where it contributes to the conditional mood of the sentence, which is established by "were."
"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
Moderated by Jackie
Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics Forums16Topics13,915Posts230,273Members9,208 Most Online4,606
Sep 17th, 2025
Newest Members JerryC, blvd, Tony Hood, Wood Delivery, Forix Richard
9,208 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days) JerryC 1
Top Posters wwh 13,858Faldage 13,803Jackie 11,613wofahulicodoc 11,131tsuwm 10,542LukeJavan8 9,974Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210AnnaStrophic 6,511Wordwind 6,296of troy 5,400
Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith Talk