Marshall,

Thanks. I have wondered about teaching the subjunctive. Usually I don't
teach it unless it comes up. It does seem to be dying  like "whom"  Both can
sound affected and formal.


--

Christine Reintjes Martin
[log in to unmask]





>From: marshall myers <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: subjunctive
>Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 14:44:47 -0400
>
>Christine,
>
>Your student was partly correct except for one problem. In academic
>writing "like" is not generally used as a conjunction. The student
>sentence should be: "I sometimes felt AS THOUGH I were in a dream."
>
>AS THOUGH would call for the subjunctive since the clause following it
>is "contrary to fact." or "hypothetical," as the precriptivists would say.
>
>The subjunctive mood, however, is a dying thing. I hear many
>well-educated people who don't use the subjunctive at all.
>
>That's my take on your question. Perhaps others could weigh in on the
>issue, too.
>
>Marshall
>
>Christine Reintjes wrote:
>
>>One of my students corrected this on her classmate's paper during peer
>>editing. I wouldn't have done this. Who is right and why?
>>
>>I sometimes felt like I was in a dream. (original sentence)
>>I sometimes felt like I were in a dream. (student's correction while
>>peer editing)
>>
>>I'd use "were" if I wrote this:
>>I sometimes felt as if I were in a dream.
>>But not with "like" as the student did.
>>
>>Please advise.
>>
>>--
>>
>>Christine Reintjes Martin
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>
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