[PLUG-TALK] Walk like your kids drive here

[John Jason Jordan]

On Tue, 14 Aug 2018 17:58:34 -0700
Keith Lofstrom <keithl at kl-ic.com> dijo:

>On our evening walks, my wife and I frequently encounter
>lawn signs like "Drive like your kids live here."  

The first time I saw one of those signs it struck me that, as a
contrary to fact statement, Indo-European languages require that the
verb be in present tense, subjunctive mood. In English, for regular
verbs, the present tense subjunctive forms have become the same as the
simple past indicative forms - in other words it should be 'drive like
your kids *lived* here' (because they don't live here). But nowadays I
hear less and less use of the subjunctive forms, and this sign is an
example. 

For irregular verbs the subjunctive forms are still used and still make
a difference in meaning:

	'if he were here now' (and he is not)
	'if he is here now' (and he might be)