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I'm afraid
Message de hela posté le 29-10-2005 à 20:46:34 (S | E | F | I)
Dear teachers,
1) Should we use the subjunctive after the expression "I was afraid" ?
2) "I was afraid it might snow; so I stayed home."
Is "might" some sort of a subjunctive, here?
Regards,
Hela
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Edité par bridg le 29-10-2005 21:12
forum principal
Message de hela posté le 29-10-2005 à 20:46:34 (S | E | F | I)
Dear teachers,
1) Should we use the subjunctive after the expression "I was afraid" ?
2) "I was afraid it might snow; so I stayed home."
Is "might" some sort of a subjunctive, here?
Regards,
Hela
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Edité par bridg le 29-10-2005 21:12
forum principal
Réponse: I'm afraid de traviskidd, postée le 29-10-2005 à 23:49:20 (S | E)
"Might" is the preterite and conditional form of "may".
In this case, it's the preterite, used to agree in tense with "was", to express the past possibility of an event.
I said "I'm afraid it may/might rain," because I was afraid it might rain!
Not to be confused with "may have", which refers to the present possibility that a past action in fact took place.
Réponse: I'm afraid de hela, postée le 30-10-2005 à 05:57:11 (S | E)
OK, but if ever "be afraid" is followed by a main verb (and not a modal) should it be in the subjuntive ?
See you,
Hela
Réponse: I'm afraid de traviskidd, postée le 30-10-2005 à 07:46:29 (S | E)
No, it's the indicative:
I'm afraid that it is going to snow. (Not "that it be going".)
Réponse: I'm afraid de hela, postée le 30-10-2005 à 10:27:01 (S | E)
Thanks a lot Traviskidd!
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