CAE. It's time (Subjunctive mood)
Дата публикации: Oct 01, 2016 3:28:29 PM
Subjunctive Mood Structures (1)
Wish + Object Clause (Speech patterns)
It’s time from English Grammar Today
We can use the expression it’s time + subject + past verb form to refer to the present moment:
Gosh! It’s almost midnight. It’s time we went home.
Not: It’s time we go home.
It’s time with a verb in the to-infinitive form can refer to the speaker and the listener together:
Come on. It’s time to start packing. We have to leave in two hours. (or It’s time we started packing.)
IT'S (HIGH) TIME + PAST SUBJUNCTIVE
It's (high) time + past subjunctive expresses that something should be done and that it is already a bit late:
It's time you went to bed. You'll have to get up early tomorrow.
It's high time I bought a new pair of jeans.
It's about time this road was completed. They've been working on it for months.
When we say that the right time has arrived for something and we are still in time, we can use the following patterns:
It's time (for you) to go to bed.
It's time to say goodbye.
It's time for breakfast.
Like the term present subjunctive, past subjunctive can be misunderstood, as it describes a form rather than a meaning. The past subjunctive is so named because it resembles the past indicative in form, but the difference between them is a difference in modality, not in temporality. For example, in If that were true, I would know it, the word were (a past subjunctive) has no past-tense sense and instead describes a counterfactual condition in the present.
In addition to appearing in counterfactual if clauses (If I were there, he would know it), the past subjunctive form also appears in that clauses expressing a wish that is unlikely to be fulfilled. Usually the main-clause verb in this circumstance is wish, as in I wish that he were here now; but occasionally some other expression implying an unlikely wish is seen, as in It is high time (that) he bought a new car or I would rather that he did that. (The latter example can also be recast in the present subjunctive, expressing doubt but not as much doubt as the past subjunctive: I would rather that he do that).
past = present or future: unreal uses of past forms
We sometimes use past tenses to describe things in the present or future that are imagined or unreal.
It's time we went.
We are using It's time... here to say that something is not happening, but it should be happening. Compare also the following:
It's time we left. Our son will be home soon and he doesn't have a house key.
It's about time you started looking for a job. You can't depend on us all the time. It's high time you started to fend for yourself.
Note that it's not possible to use this structure in negative sentences. We cannot say: It's high time you didn't depend on your parents any more. But we can use the construction it's time to or it's time for + object + to as alternatives to the unreal use of past forms to express this idea:
It's time for you to think seriously about what you want to do in your life.
It's time you thought seriously about what you want to achieve in your life.
It's time to reflect on how you want your life to proceed.
what if.../suppose/supposing
We also use what if and suppose/supposing + past simple to express a wish for something to be different than it actually is. Again we are using a past tense to make a suggestion for the future or to describe something that is imagined or unreal. Compare the following:
Suppose Henry came to stay with us for a couple of weeks. You'd like that, wouldn't you?
Supposing he wanted to live with us permanently. How would you feel about that?
What if I caught a later train? Then I'd be able to stay and help you finish the report.
What if you missed the last train? Then you'd have to sleep on my floor.
wish / if only
Similarly we can use wish and if only + past simple to express a wish for something to be different than it actually is:
If only I could lose some weight. Then I'd be able to wear this dress.
If only I had more free time. I'm sure I'd be less stressed and more cheerful.
I wish I were younger. I'd love to be able to play tennis like Roger Federer.
I wish you could drive. Then I wouldn't need to be your personal chauffeur.
Note that we also use wish and if only with the past perfect to express a regret about the past, a wish that something might have been different:
I wish I'd had more children. Then I wouldn't be so lonely now.
I wish you'd told me you felt lonely. You could've spent the summer with me.
Note that the shortened forms of I'd had and you'd told in the above examples are abbreviations of the past perfect:
I wish I had had more children. Then I wouldn't be so lonely now.
I wish you had told me you felt lonely. You could've spent the summer with me.