Dear Siraisi Tomio, According to knowledge that I got after taking Advanced English Grammar class, I can say that first sentence is more likely to be correct than the second one. Subjunctive mood expresses an assumption and usually expresses hypothetical situation. If I was you, I would use in my writing the first version instead of second one. But wait for other responses from professionals on this server because I'm not sure that I can give you good answer by studying English only for two years. > Hello everyone. > > Today I want to learn about the subjunctive mood. > > Is the following sentence grammatically incorrect? > > (1)The little child is lonely; he would be happier if he had someone that he > can play with. > > Some reference books insist that we should say "could play with" instead of > "can play with". But some other grammar books argue that there is no need to > do so. > > I have thought that (1) is correct. Am I wrong? > > Thanks in advance. > > SIRAISI Tomio