Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Here is another question about correctness:

On the web I read that we can say "It's high time we send (and not sent) him a registered letter"

whether with the expression 'it's about time' we can only use the subjunctive = "It's about time you spent (and not spend) a little less money."

Is this true ? Here the explanation I have found on a website:

"This is another of those cases of "real" and "unreal" conditionals, which in more rational languages would be regulated by subjunctive standards. The issue is how fully the speaker expects the action to happen. If there's a real intention to send that registered letter now that the reminder has been issued, then the verb is present. If the speaker has some doubt that we'll ever get around to sending the letter after all, then the verb is past:

� "It's high time we send him a registered letter." = a plan to do something, a "real" condition for a future action.

� "It's high time we sent him a registered letter." = a regret that we haven't done something, more focus on the past non-action, and a wishful thought about the future action that may or may not take place�an "unreal" (or unsure) condition for a future action.

As for "It's about time," I can't give a grammatical reason why it never sounds right followed by the present. The explanation must be semantic: "about time" seems to move backward more, drawing in shadows of the time that's been spent already, while "high time" seems more neutral, able to be look both ways depending on the speaker's attitude. "

Do you agree?

All the best,
Hela

[helen1]

Hi Hela,

[hela]

Dear Helen,

Would you please do me an immense favour ? If ever you know an expert in linguistics in your university would you please ask him/her the question ? I really want to know how to use these expressions properly and if the verbs that follow them should be in the SUBJUNCTIVE (present or past) or the INDICATIVE mood.

(By the way is it true that the CONDITIONAL is NOT a mood in English?)

For example: Do we say:

a) "It is high time she WAS in bed / WENT to bed" (indicative)
b) "It is high time she WERE in bed / WENT to bed" (subjunctive)
c) "It is about time she WAS / WERE in bed."
d) "It's high / about time she SHOULD BE in bed." ?

If more than one possibility can be used would you please tell me in which circumstances each of them may appear ?

Thank you very much indeed for your help.
Hela