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Command Subjunctive

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Command Subjunctive

by chaitanya.mehrotra » Fri Jul 08, 2011 1:38 pm
As Per man SC below is a example of usage of Command Subjunctive after Whether.

I like ice cream , WHETHER it BE chocalate , Vanilla or any other favour.

Where is the command subjunctive ? Which is the bossy verb out here ?
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by Ashley@VeritasPrep » Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:22 pm
I like that -- bossy verb :)

I wouldn't consider this a "command subjunctive"... but "command subjunctive" is just a term made up to help you remember that one of the structures that requires subjunctive is a command ("The prof demanded that we be in our seats by 8:00, for example"). The important takeaway is just that you need subjunctive 'be' in the ice cream sentence, as opposed to the indicative 'is.'

(However, subjunctive in "whether"-type constructions is actually often considered archaic nowadays, and I'd be very surprised if the GMAT forced you to make a choice as to whether to use it in these types of constructions.)
Ashley Newman-Owens
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