A Question of Queenie

[Angela Woodford]

It's not something do do with the subjunctive, is it?

I confess I never really understood about the subjunctive. Might it still be possible for me?

[Fjgrogan]

Angela - I see the subjunctive as somewhat ephemeral or conditional - something that hasn't quite happened, hovering out of reach. One example is 'if I were you .......' rather than the more colloquial 'if I was you ..........'. I cannot always explain the difference; it somehow becomes instinctive to know when to use it, and I still do! Some languages would use the conditional anyway.

[Angela Woodford]

I've just been grappling with secateurs taking having-fruited blackberry canes out of my Nature Hedge and that dratted blasted "to be about to be" is still in my head and I can't get rid of it. I hear Queenie's voice! (I always will.)

A prickly problem... ! Thank you Mary, Jo and Frances!

[Jo]

Well, I stand corrected! Even a casual Google confirms that the future infinitive does, indeed, exist (sorry, Mary ) and describes exactly that construction ("to be about to be").

There are, as you might expect, masses of sites about Latin grammar, but the first hit seems as good as any: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library ... stconj.htm.

Ah, memories

[Angela Woodford]

The future infinitive.

There! Terrifying, isn't it? What a thought.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

How about a split future infinitive

to be about to boldly be?