Varieties of Sentence Structures with the Oblique Moods

Varieties of sentence structures with the oblique moods

1. To add emphasis to hypothetical situations the conjunction «if only» is used. The predicate is expressed by a notional verb in the Subjunctive II (Present or Past) form. With past events a sense of regret is especially emphasized. The second part of the sentence (the consequence, which is generally given in the principal clause) is often left out:

e.g. If only I had enough time!

If only I hadn’t drunk too much, this wouldn’t have happened!

1. The condition can be introduced by the conjunction «but for», which replaces «if not» making the stated-to-be condition implied as far as it is followed by a noun or noun group. It is a marker of formal language:

e.g. If you hadn’t helped us, we wouldn’t have been in trouble.

But for your help we wouldn’t have been in trouble.

The construction corresponds to the Russian «если бы не что-то/кто-то»:

e.g. But for the rain we should go to the country. – Если бы не дождь, мы бы поехали за город.

But for you I should have been late. – Если бы не ты, я бы опоздал.

1. The implied condition (the condition that is not stated directly in the corresponding subordinate clause) may be introduced by the patterns «if it were not for» and «if it hadn’t been for» followed by a noun or noun group. These structures are to emphasize how one event depends on another; the former describes situations in the present, the latter – situations in the past:

e.g. If it were not for Jim, this company would be in a mess.

If it hadn’t been for their goalkeeper, United would have lost.

1. The implied condition may be introduced by the conjunctions

«otherwise», «or», «or else» meaning «or if not». It can go at the beginning or end of the sentence. Compare the sentences:

If you hadn’t given us directions, we wouldn’t have found the house. = Thanks for your directions to the house. We wouldn’t have found it otherwise.

1. The term «understood conditions» has appeared recently. The conditional part of these sentences is often understood but not stated directly in the subordinate clause and is introduced by the imperative of the verbs «imagine»,

«suppose» mostly, the rest of the sentence that follows these verbs contains the form of Subjunctive II of a notional verb:

e.g. Imagine we won the lottery! (Imagine what we would do if...)

Suppose someone told you that I was a queen! (What would you say?)

Note: if the event referred to is a real possibility rather than imaginary a present tense is possible:

e.g. Suppose it starts raining, what’ll we do?