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interesting english syntax

From:Elliott Lash <erelion12@...>
Date:Monday, September 26, 2005, 14:02
 In my American New York English, I can say the
following types of things:

1)  Were he here, he'd be helping us out.

2)  Had I known how bad it was, I never would have
seen it.

3)  Come spring, the flowers will start to bloom.


-------------------------------
The first two have an inverted subject and verb in the
first clause, where the verb is in a past or
"subjunctive" form. It seems to mean the same as "if
he were" and "if I had known". The last sentence is
slightly different in meaning, with a "subjunctive"
form of the verb. It means something like "when spring
comes". Is there a name for these things, and is it
more common, used with more than those verbs? Is it
appropriated for any conlangs?

-Elliott



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Roger Mills <rfmilly@...>