GK: And now . . . a message from the Professional Organization of English Majors.
Text messaging and the chat box have been rough on English, on punctuation and spelling, and also on the subjunctive. The subjunctive: expressing wishful thinking, desire, possibility, the hypothetical. The verb tense of romance.
SS: Hi. I feel as if I know you from somewhere. Might we have been in a library together at one time, reading books at adjacent tables?
GK: I wish it were true.
SS: I would give anything if you were an English major.
GK: And if I were, could you tread softly knowing that I have spread my dreams under your feet like the embroidered cloths of heaven?
SS: And dare I dream that the man I love were able to accurately quote William Butler Yeats.
GK: If I may be so bold: might you be willing to join me in a small cabin of clay and wattles made there in the bee-loud glade?
SS: If you mean now, I would have to say yes, but you must take me in your arms immediately lest I change my mind.
GK: The Subjunctive. Suggestive. Subtle. Wouldn't you like to use it this afternoon? A message from the Professional Organization of English Majors.