In my opinion, wishing it would ring would be used when talking about the present, not the past, just as the following sentence. He wishes the phone would ring. However, I saw the below sentence in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary He sat by the phone, wishing it would ring. I don’t get the sentence, because … Read more
She had wished to marry him. She wished to have married him. I know these two sentences are semantically different, but I’m not sure what the exact difference is. Answer Does this help explain it? "It was lunchtime. I had wanted to eat an hour earlier [at 11]." vs "It was lunchtime. I wanted to … Read more
If I have a lot of money, I would buy the house. If I had a lot of money, I would buy the house. What’s the difference of the two sentences and which one is more widely used among native English speakers? Answer In the first sentence, the speaker doesn’t express any opinion on the … Read more
If I was there yesterday, I am not alive now or I would not be alive now. If I had been there yesterday, I am not alive now or I would not be alive now. Which one between 1 and 2 is more widely used among native English speakers? p.s.: The focus of the question … Read more
I think that usage of the words "think" and "thought" is the most difficult in English grammar. Even though I watched several videos and searched the internet, I am unable to understand the difference. I want to use the subordinate sentence "he bought a toy": Are the following sentences are analyzed correctly? (1) She thinks … Read more
Fowler reads You can insist that something be done (subjunctive with that optionally omitted) or that something should be done. Isn’t that also optional in the version with should then? Answer Are these the options? It’s clearer if you write out the choice instead of bundling them together. You can insist (that) something be done… … Read more
What’s the function of "that" in the following sentences? How do you analyze it? Who do you think you are that you should talk to me like that? Who are you that you should talk to me like that? It’s not a relative pronoun. What is its definition in the dictionary? Answer Who do you … Read more
I am in the process of writing my dissertation (in maths/physics), and for some reason constructions like these come naturally to me: We impose that the background be symmetric. We also require that a complex structure exist on the manifold. Upon re-reading them, however, I am unsure whether they are actually grammatically correct at all, … Read more
I’m from India where English is not a native language. Generally here we use constructions like "Should you work hard?" and "Had I done it?" in interrogative sense. But now I find that they are also used in subjunctive conditionals. For example: "Should you work hard, you will pass." "Had I done it, I would … Read more
As far as I know, the present subjunctive is used in subordinate clauses that follow verbs expressing a desire, a demand, a recommendation, or a resolve. However, I came across the following examples which seems not to be included in any of the mentioned categories: He must be tended with the same care, whether he … Read more
