The Use of the Oblique Moods in Simple Sentences

Type of a Mood	Meaning	Examples
1. The Subjunctive I	1. wish 2. concession 3. commands or requests (with the subject expressed by compound indefinite pronoun) 4. oaths, imprecations	1. Success attend you! 2. So be it! 3. Somebody go and buy the book.     4. Manners be hanged!
2. The Subjunctive II (Present and Past)	1. unreal wish (after the phrases “If only…”, “Oh, if…”, “Oh, that…” 2. choice, preference   3. advice	1. If only I could sing well!     2. It is raining heavily. I would rather stay at home. 3. You had better go to the library.
3. The Conditional (Present and Past)	1. an implied condition   2. after “ but for ” + noun, gerund or gerundial construction 3. after “or, otherwise”   4. after the infinitive as the subject.	1. I should like to talk briefly on the problem… 2. But for her laziness she would have passed the exam better. 3. Come earlier. Otherwise you would miss the train. 4. To have gone there yesterday would havechanged all our plans.

Exercises:

1. Express advice in the following situations:

Model: He is short of breath. – He had better not walk for a long time.

1. He has insomnia. 2. She has some unfamiliar symptoms. 3. Something is wrong with her heart. 4. The child is crying. 5. A woman has lost her purse. 6. I have a sore throat. 7. I am thirsty. 8. My eyes give me much pain. 9. The child does not want to fall asleep. 10. A small girl is being naughty.

Paraphrase the following sentences, using “had better”.

1. I advise you to get down to business at once if you want things done in time. 2. I don’t advise you to sit long in the sun. 3. The one sensible thing for him to do is to tell them the whole truth. 4. I think you should take a warm coat with you to be on the safe side. 5. Tell her that it would be more useful for her to read the book in the original than in translation. 6. I think he should go away on a short visit some place, it would do him good. 7. The only sensible thing for you to do, I think, is to look through the paper again before handing it in. 8. I shouldn’t advise you to make a fuss about such a little thing. 9. If you want to get well, you should obey the doctor’s orders. 10. Take my advice and don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

3. Express choice (preference) in the following situations:

Model: I don’t want to take pills. – I’d rather drink a glass of hot milk with honey.

1. I don’t like my English teacher. 2. I don’t like this faculty. 3. It is too hot. 4. I don’t like my figure. 5. Something is wrong with my mobile phone. 6. I don’t like this DVD player. 7. I am ill. 8. I don’t like this medicine. 9. He made an appointment. 10. I have a terrible headache.

Translate the sentences into English using the forms of Subjunctive II expressing either choice /preference or advice.

Model: a) I ’d rather stay here for a while;

b) You ’d better go home right away.

1. Вам було б краще відпочити. 2. Я, мабуть, не зміню свого вирішення. 3. Нам краще відправитися на прогулянку прямо зараз. 4. Вам би краще сходити до лікаря не гаючи часу. 5. Мені б краще розповісти Адаму про те, що трапилось. 6. Ми, мабуть, вважали б за краще виконати цю роботу інакше. 7. Я вважав би за краще залишитися тут, ніж їхати туди. 8. Вам би краще змінити відношення до того, що діється навколо вас. 9. Їм би краще розпочати усе з початку. 10. Вони вважали б за краще запобігти помилок, які зробили ви.

5. Paraphrase the sentences so that to express an unreal wish:

Model: I didn’t visit the British Museum last time. – Oh, if I had visited the British Museum last time.

I can’t ski. –Oh, if I could ski.

1. I didn’t make note of the departure time of the plane. 2. You are so untactful! 3. Luke forgot to turn off the water heater when he left. 4. Don’t interrupt me when I’m trying to make a point! 5. You reacted so rudely to Mary’s comment at the meeting. 6. I wonder if Harriet will join us on the excursion this weekend. 7. You don’t pay attention to what I’m saying! 8. I didn’t (couldn’t) buy tickets for “Donbass Arena” opening ceremony. 9. She didn’t tell me she was going away. 10. I can’t read his mind. I don’t know what he is thinking about.