UNIT 24 THE SUBJUNCTIVE

VOCABULARY

Be at your wit's end= to be very upset about not solving a problem At a moment's notice= very soon Life expectancy= how long a person lives Senior= older than 60

Nursing home

Comprehension questions

Where is the woman's mother living now ? Why doesn't the woman like the nursing home option? What is the woman's concern about retirement and assisted living centers? Which country has the highest average life expectancy?

Your opinion

What would you do if you had a parent who can't mantain an independent existence? How do you feel about seniors who take expensive cruises or go to Europe on vacations?

Grammar notes

Remember conditional sentences: If she is lonely, you should look into a retirement center.

Your mother may be lonely.

You can imply the condition by saying If so Other ways to imply conditions are

but for, if not, otherwise,with, without, etc.

she needs to make the decision. Otherwise,

she'll never be happy.

More implied conditions

Without your help, I wouldn't have succeeded. If you hadn't helped me,I wouldn't have succeeded. But for his pension, he'd have no income. If he didn't have a pension, he'd

More conditions
Unreal conditions with had( past perfect), should, and were can be expressed by eliminating if and inverting the subject and verb:

If I had known, I would have arrived earlier. If I were to accept this job, I'd insist on benefits If I had memorized examples, I'd have passed.

Had I known, I would have arrived earlier.

Were I to accept this job, I'd insist on benefits.

_______________________; I'd have passed.

The subjunctive

A common form of the subjunctive occurs with verbs like recommend, suggest,propose demand, and insist:

We recommend that Mario see a doctor. My aunt insisted that we not visit her on Mondays. The boss demanded that Linda be on time.

The subjunctive also occurs with certain adjectives:

It's urgent that she get the information at once.

It's essential that elders be treated with respect.

Your turn !
Teacher to student X: practice online to learn more.

The teacher recommends that ____________

Teacher to student Y: give me your writing immediately.

The teacher demands that ________________

___________.
what is mandatory at the main entrance here? What is urgent about your project?