If I'm not mistaken, the Future Indicative evolved from and replaced some of the Subjunctive.
Dan Send a noteboard - 27/04/2012 09:44:33 PM
Or, overlapped. In Ancient Greek the Future Indicative is actually a comparatively later evolution of the Aorist-aspected Subjunctive and has gone on to do some of the subjunctive legwork. I can't speak for Indo-European languages as a whole, let alone languages in general, but it seems like the Future Indicative and Subjunctive have been a good deal of the same space for a while, so it seems like at different times and with different languages one would end up doing more work than the other.
Also, in Greek it's valid to simply have "mixed conditionals" that consist just of the indicative mood (If you leave, I leave too) and that technically doesn't invalidate the grammar, though it's a bit more unusual. Is it similarly technically valid for English or Spanish Grammar? I suppose that would be a route to eliminating the subjunctive. I think that's what happened with the Optative pretty quickly after Attic became Koine. It's been of particular interest to me how this cluster of grammatical constructions, along with the Optative, vary in emphasis and existence across space/time/tongue. I wonder: is the Spanish Conditional a remnant of the old Optative popping back up?
"Good" is usually an adjective (minus the few times that it can become a substantive) and in a sentence such as "I'm good," good modifies I, with "am" being a state-of-being verb that cannot be modified in such a construction. The adverb "well" should be used when the state of condition is dynamic or the verb is an action verb, such as "I am doing well" or "She did well on her test."
Perhaps there are other exceptions to this usage, but I did not see this discussed in the article.
Oh, and "one" can also be used as a singular, unisex pronoun, although that can lead to stiff, archaic speech on occasion.
As for "hopefully," it seems to be a vestigial remnant of a subjunctive clause. I was reminded of the Spanish "ojalá," which is a marker for the present subjunctive to be used. Naturally, we tend to put the main phrase in the future indicative. Hopefully in the future we will see the return of a stronger English subjunctive, but I doubt it
Also, in Greek it's valid to simply have "mixed conditionals" that consist just of the indicative mood (If you leave, I leave too) and that technically doesn't invalidate the grammar, though it's a bit more unusual. Is it similarly technically valid for English or Spanish Grammar? I suppose that would be a route to eliminating the subjunctive. I think that's what happened with the Optative pretty quickly after Attic became Koine. It's been of particular interest to me how this cluster of grammatical constructions, along with the Optative, vary in emphasis and existence across space/time/tongue. I wonder: is the Spanish Conditional a remnant of the old Optative popping back up?
Cracked really has some great stuff.
"Good" is usually an adjective (minus the few times that it can become a substantive) and in a sentence such as "I'm good," good modifies I, with "am" being a state-of-being verb that cannot be modified in such a construction. The adverb "well" should be used when the state of condition is dynamic or the verb is an action verb, such as "I am doing well" or "She did well on her test."
Perhaps there are other exceptions to this usage, but I did not see this discussed in the article.
Oh, and "one" can also be used as a singular, unisex pronoun, although that can lead to stiff, archaic speech on occasion.
As for "hopefully," it seems to be a vestigial remnant of a subjunctive clause. I was reminded of the Spanish "ojalá," which is a marker for the present subjunctive to be used. Naturally, we tend to put the main phrase in the future indicative. Hopefully in the future we will see the return of a stronger English subjunctive, but I doubt it
An article on grammar that makes me want to start a slow movie clap.
- 26/04/2012 12:26:21 AM
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I almost completely agree with them.
- 26/04/2012 02:38:06 AM
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Misusing "Literally" is one of the few grammar issues that actually bothers me.
- 26/04/2012 05:18:21 AM
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I'm with you on all points. Furthermore, misuse of "literally" isn't a grammar issue at all.
- 26/04/2012 07:07:11 PM
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I never did get that fuss about "literally".
- 26/04/2012 08:12:14 PM
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Your example is slightly different from e.g. "My blood was literally boiling". *NM*
- 27/04/2012 02:13:05 PM
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I used the article's example. But I don't see why your example is any different in that regard. *NM*
- 27/04/2012 07:03:03 PM
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Yeah, literally in hyperbole doesn't bother me. But I also don't mind when people mock its usage. *NM*
- 27/04/2012 08:21:05 PM
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You clearly need to watch more English football coverage, Sky in particular.
- 28/04/2012 02:01:11 PM
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They provide the wrong rationale for good/well
- 26/04/2012 02:55:10 AM
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Hopefully you be right... hm, I don't know about that one. 
- 26/04/2012 08:22:05 PM
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- 26/04/2012 08:22:05 PM
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Sometimes, I do actually use that construction when speaking to others near me
- 26/04/2012 09:10:02 PM
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If I'm not mistaken, the Future Indicative evolved from and replaced some of the Subjunctive.
- 27/04/2012 09:44:33 PM
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There was never an optative in recorded Latin or later Romance languages.
- 27/04/2012 09:58:11 PM
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It's not Ojala which makes me think there's a connection between the Conditional and Optative
- 28/04/2012 04:28:35 AM
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