Summary of Systemic-Functional Grammar and Language Analysis

## Introduction Mood and conditionals are central to expressing attitude, possibility, necessity, wishes and hypothetical situations in English. This guide focuses on how mood (especially the subjunctive and imperative) and conditionals work in practice, with clear examples and exercises you can use for self-study. > Definition: Mood is the grammatical feature that shows a speaker's attitude toward the action or state expressed by the verb (e.g. factual, desired, commanded, hypothetical). Conditionals are sentence patterns that express cause–effect relationships often involving hypothetical or future possibilities. ## Overview: Main moods and where they appear - **Indicative mood**: States facts and asks questions (ordinary declarative and interrogative sentences). - **Imperative mood**: Gives commands, requests or instructions. Uses the base form of the verb. - **Subjunctive mood**: Expresses wishes, demands, suggestions, hypothetical or counterfactual situations. In modern English it often appears in fixed expressions and formal contexts. > Definition: Subjunctive — a verb form or construction used to express wishes, demands, suggestions or situations contrary to fact. ### Quick signals that the subjunctive may appear - Verbs like *suggest*, *recommend*, *demand*, *insist*, *advise* followed by "that" + clause - Fixed phrases: "It is advisable that...", "It is essential that...", "It is high time that..." - Wishes and hypothetical statements: "I wish...", "If only...", "As if / as though..." ## The subjunctive: forms and use ### Present subjunctive (base form) - Structure: verb that-clause uses the base form for all persons: "that he be", "that she leave" - Use: after verbs expressing demand, recommendation, suggestion; after adjectives/expressions of necessity. - Examples: - It is advisable that the passengers not leave their luggage unattended. (formal/subjunctive) - The examining board decided that the students be examined orally via an online application. - The opposition demanded that the Minister of Education resign. ### Past (counterfactual) subjunctive with "were" - In contrary-to-fact statements about the present, English commonly uses "were" for all persons. - Example: If your mum were here, she wouldn’t let you stay up late. - Also used in "as if" / "as though": You talk about it as if you were a prime minister. ### Fixed expressions and wishes - "I wish I were on the beach now." (counterfactual present) - "If only he had called me about the incident." (regret about the past — uses past perfect) > Definition: Counterfactual conditional — a conditional that contradicts known facts or reality (uses past forms to talk about present or past unreal situations). ## Imperative mood: forms and pragmatics - Use the base verb form for commands and requests: "Shut the window." "Be careful." "Have something to eat." - Tag questions and politeness: tag questions like "will you?", "won't you?" or modals such as "could you?" soften or ask for confirmation: "Will you shut the window in the kitchen?" - Negative imperatives use "don’t": "Don’t leave your luggage unattended." Fun fact: In English the imperative lacks an explicit subject; the subject "you" is understood. ## Conditionals: forms and meanings Use the following table to compare common conditional types. | Conditional type | Structure | Meaning / Example | |---|---|---| | Zero (general truths) | If + present, present | General facts: If you heat water to 100°C, it boils. | | First (real future) | If + present, will + base | Real possibility: If it rains, I will stay home. | | Second (present unreal) | If + past (were), would + base | Present improbable or hypothetical: If I were you, I would go for it. | | Third (past unreal) | If + past perfect, would have + past participle | Past counterfactual: If he had called, I would have forgiven him. | | Mixed | If + past perfect / past, would + base | Past condition affecting present result: If it had not been f