here it is: The subjunctive is an unreal tense. It sounds like it could be the past tense, but it is not. It indicates that the occurrence or situation in the if... clause is not or was not real; the main clause is always in the conditional. Look at these examples;

Unreal Present: Present subjunctive:

"If I were a bird, I would be an eagle." (are you a bird? no)

"If I won the lottery, I'd ..." (have you won the lottery? What are your chances?--this is an unreal, possible but wishful, future)

Unreal past: past subjunctive:
• The cat wouldn't have had a problem if the dog hadn't tried to have it for lunch. (Bill Handel, KFI, 12 July 1997)
• If Princess Diana had been wearing a seat belt, she probably would have survived the crash.

Since we use the past tense to indicate the unreal present,

we use the past perfect in the if clause to indicate the unreal past. This is where it gets sticky, because you can have two haves in a row, one indicating the verb of possession, to have, and the other acting as an auxiliary ("helper") verb to indicate the past perfect tense, as in

• If I had had the time, I would have....
• If I had had the money, I would have....

Additionally, the result clause uses one of the modal auxliaries would, could, might, may, should + have:

If I had had the money, I would have bought that leather jacket.
• If I had had the time, I would have gone on that trip with you.
• If I hadn't had to work, I could have gone to the picnic last weekend
• If I hadn't been so tired, I could have worked longer,
• If I had known, I would have come over.

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The Speculative Paper: Using the Subjunctive

Here are some questions that require the use of the subjunctive; remember, the subjunctive is an unreal tense:
• Present Subjunctive:
  • Argentina now has clinics that provide subsidized plastic surgery for people who can't afford it. If the government would pay for plastic surgery, what's the one thing you would have done?" (Rose & Tom, KTZN 12 July 1997)

  *to have something done = to have one's hair done

  to have one's nail's done

  to have one's face/nose/eyes done

  • "If you had to liken yourself to a famous person, which one would you say you looked like?" (Larry Elder, KABC, 3 July 1997)

  to liken oneself to something or someone = to compare oneself to someone/something

  • "If you were making a contract with your (present) employer, what little perk, Hollywood extra, would make your job perfect?" (Sam Rubin, 2 July 1997, FM Real Radio 97.1)
  • There seems to be a loophole in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo, which will soon be 150 years old. The treaty ceded the southwest to the United States. "What if California were given back to Mexico?" (Rodri, KFI, 14 September 1997)
• Past Subjunctive
  • What kind of effect have you had on the people in your life? If you had never been born, what would life for others be and have been like? It's a Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart asks this question. (Michael Jackson, 3 July 1997, KABC)
  • "Do you think that Princess Diana would have wanted a more private funeral?" (Juan Andres, 7 September 1997, KFI)

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