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Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear)



 
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Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear) #1 (permalink) Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:06 am   Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear)
 

1/ If only I (never bear)

=> The above sentence is just a wish (unreal), so had we better use subjunctive mood here? Or should it be:

If only I have never been born

2/ She knows little or nothing about that
=> does the above sentence sound awkward?

Thanks a lot
Nessies
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Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear) #2 (permalink) Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:29 am   Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear)
 

#1 "I wish I'd never been born."

#2 is OK.
Molly
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Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear) #3 (permalink) Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:03 am   Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear)
 

Thanks a lot, Molly. However I still wonder how the sentence should be if we use "if only"
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Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear) #4 (permalink) Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:00 am   Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear)
 

Quote:
However I still wonder how the sentence should be if we use "if only".


Non-idiomatic, IMHO.
Molly
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Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear) #5 (permalink) Wed Apr 09, 2008 12:05 pm   Usage of subjunctive: If only I (never bear)
 

.
"If only I'd never been born!"
(had never been born)

I cannot think of any context in which the present perfect would be possible.
.
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