Conditional Mood Examples in Proverbs and Quotations

Conditional and Subjunctive Mood Examples in Proverbs, Quotations and Rhymes

1.  Comment on the use of the Conditional Mood in complex sentences expressing unreal condition in the following proverbs and sayings.

1.     If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
2.     If there were no clouds, we should not enjoy the sun.
3.     If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
4.     If the pills were pleasant, they would not be guilded.
5.     If things were to be done twice all would be wise.
6.     If "ifs" and "ans" were pots and pans.
7.     Many would be cowards if they had courage enough.
8.     Pigs might fly if they had wings.
9.     If my aunt had been a man, she’d have been my uncle.
10.     If each would sweep before his own door, we should have a clean city.

Conditional Sentences

The Conditional Mood is used to the principal clauses of complex sentences expressing unreal condition.

The Oblique Moods

The Formation of the Oblique Moods

Subjunctive I

	Synthetical form (1)	Analytical form
Present	I (he, she, we, you, they) be, have, speak	I (he, she, we, you, they) should be, should have, should speak.
Past	---	I (he, she, we, you, they) should have been, should have had, should have spoken.

(1) The form of Subjunctive I in Modern British English is mostly used in poetry and official documents. In colloquial speech the analytical form of Subjunctive I prevails.
In American English the synthetical form of Subjunctive I is colloquial.