English for Teachers/Unit 6/Chapter 5

by Daniel D. Holt

Unit 6

Chapter 5

The Subjunctive (p. 449)

If John were here, he could help us.
⁠⁠was
I wish I was in Polynesia.
⁠⁠were

Present-unreal conditional sentences and "wish + complement" sentences use the subjunctive form "were" for all three persons, singular and plural. But this usage is rapidly changing. Now even educated people use "was" instead of "were".

I. Exchanges

A: What would you do if you were a millionaire?
B: I'd buy a Rolls Royce.

A: I wish I was in Cheju-do.
B; Boy, that would be nice.

A: He wishes he were president.
B: Oh really? Why?
A: He likes power.

II. Song

I wish I were an apple.
Hanging on a tree.
And everytime sweetheart passed.
She'd take a bite of me.

"Cindy, Cindy"
⁠- American Folk Song

III. Writing

⁠Make short negative responses, using "I wish he	__________"
	wasn't wouldn't didn't couldn't

1. Mr. Kim lives far away.
2. This student chews gum in class.
3. My neighbor plays violin.
4. He has a noisy dog.
5. Korean is difficult.

IV. Writing

Write a paragraph about your lost ambitions.
Answer the following questions:

What do you wish you were?
What would you do if you were that?
Why?
Why aren't you that?

V. Review Reading

Adventure on the Moon

Perhaps the greatest adventure of our era was man's landing on the noon. On July 16th, 1969, the spaceship Apollo II blasted off on its 385,000 kilometer journey into space. It was a dangerous trip. If there were any problems, there could be no turning back. The astronauts themselves were ordinary men. But they were trained to survive in space and to perform many scientific experiments. Their names were Armstrong and Aldrin.

After three days, the ship touched down on the moon. Armstrong climbed down the ladder and stepped onto the noon. He said, "A small step for man. A giant leap for mankind." It was a historic moment. Man was on the moon. Aldrin followed and the two men walked and drove over the moon's barren surface. They picked up rocks to bring back to earth. They drove scientific instruments beneath the moon surface to test the soil. They planted the American flag. Then the ship took off for earth.

VI. Writing

Complete the Review Reading by writing a last paragraph.

1. Pacific ocean/splashed down
2. nearby/aircraft carrier
3. families/friends/reunited
4. happy/proud/heroes/welcome

VII. Writing

Pretend that you have all the money and free time that you want.
What kind of adventure would you like to have?
Some suggestions for things to write about:

1. Describe where you would like to go.
2. Tell what kinds of preparations you would make.
3. Tell who you would like to travel with.
4. State your purpose and how you would achieve it.
5. Tell what you would do upon returning home.