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One-way ticket to hell, please.
Sep. 8th, 2004 12:03 pmOK, I am a language hack, and I can only with effort let things slide. I admit that I circle typos in every book I read, and that I tune out anyone as soon as I hear "orientate" in place of "orient".
So I have to step in on a recent spirited discussion. There are several grammatical structures that are used to express a desire that someone else take an action.
Yes, Virginia, we have the Imperative Mood. This is a command, and is distinguished from the Indicative and Subjunctive Moods. The Indicative Mood is used for statements, and we can leave it out of the discussion from this point forward.
The Subjunctive Mood is multi-faceted, used to indicate concepts abstracted from reality. In English, the helper verbs may, can, must, might, could, would and should are good clues that the Subjunctive is being used. One of the Subjunctive uses is the Hortatory, which is used to URGE, not DEMAND action.
Let us say, for example, that I want to urge my friends to go to the beach. "Let's (let us) go to the beach" is the textbook form of this statement. Let us say that I would like to leave a restaurant. "May I please have the check" or even the shortened "Check, please." work well here. One might even generalize and infer the the use of "please" as a substitute for a lengthier phrase, possibly too formal for electronic fora, such as "could/would you please".
I rest with the conclusion that the presence of the word "please" in a request is clear tag as to the use of the Subjunctive rather than Imperative Moods.
So I have to step in on a recent spirited discussion. There are several grammatical structures that are used to express a desire that someone else take an action.
Yes, Virginia, we have the Imperative Mood. This is a command, and is distinguished from the Indicative and Subjunctive Moods. The Indicative Mood is used for statements, and we can leave it out of the discussion from this point forward.
The Subjunctive Mood is multi-faceted, used to indicate concepts abstracted from reality. In English, the helper verbs may, can, must, might, could, would and should are good clues that the Subjunctive is being used. One of the Subjunctive uses is the Hortatory, which is used to URGE, not DEMAND action.
Let us say, for example, that I want to urge my friends to go to the beach. "Let's (let us) go to the beach" is the textbook form of this statement. Let us say that I would like to leave a restaurant. "May I please have the check" or even the shortened "Check, please." work well here. One might even generalize and infer the the use of "please" as a substitute for a lengthier phrase, possibly too formal for electronic fora, such as "could/would you please".
I rest with the conclusion that the presence of the word "please" in a request is clear tag as to the use of the Subjunctive rather than Imperative Moods.
