A Dictionary of Cont..

sublime 486
coming to us in British mystery stories, which
are fond of such quaint expressions as two
weeks come Michaelmas.
USES OF THE AUXILIARIES
The subjunctive auxiliaries are used to express
obligation, uncertainty, unreality, and purpose.
They are our only means of expressing
obligation or of expressing uncertainty in the
principal clause in a statement, as in I may be
late. These uses depend entirely on the meaning
of the individual words and give no trouble
grammatically.
Certain other uses of the auxiliaries have
already been discussed. To summarize: (1)
Should is sometimes used in place of a present
subjunctive. This is heard in England
more often than in the United States. (2) Could
and would may be used in conditional clauses
as past-tense forms of can and will. (3) One of
the past-tense auxiliaries must be used in the
conclusion when a past subjunctive form has
been used in a conditional clause; and one of
these same auxiliaries followed by have is required
when a past perfect tense is used in the
condition.
In the United States until very recently, a
present subjunctive was used in subordinate
clauses expressing doubt or uncertainty, as in
I wonder whether it be wise and however hard
he work. Previously, this subjunctive had included
everything one was not absolutely certain
about, as in I think the king be stirring. Today,
we use an indicative unless we want to emphasize
the doubt. And if we want to emphasize
it, we use one of the auxiliaries, such as may be.
The words could, would, and might, are often
used with have to speak about what did not
occur, as in you might have let us know. This
is probably related to the use of these forms
after a contrary-to-fact condition. That is, the
form probably implies a conditional clause such
as “if you had wanted to.” Could may be used
with have in a conditional clause that is contrary
to fact, as in if I could have found him, I would
have told him. This construction cannot be used
with any word except could. The similarity between
if I could have found him, I would have
. . . and if I had found him, I would have . . .
leads some people to use have after had, a.s in
if I had ‘ve seen him. This is generally condemned.
In literary English the auxiliary had is
never followed by have. One also hears would
have in a contrary-to-fact condition, as in if you
would have told me, I could have helped you.
This too is generally condemned and the simple
auxiliary had should be used, as in if you had
told me. . . .
Sometimes a verbal phrase of the kind just
discussed is followed by an infinitive containing
a second have, as in it would have been wiser
to have left us and Rousseau would have been
churmed to have seen me so occupied. These
sentences could have read wiser to leave us and
charmed to see me, and some grammarians
claim that the second have is redundant and
therefore improper. But this particular construc-
tion containmg two have’s has been used by all
the great writers of English from Malory to
Chesterton. It is the standard, literary idiom
whenever the phrase following to have can be
replaced by a contrary-to-fact clause, such as
if you had left us, if he had seen me. This is
possible in the examples just given. It is not
possible in Z would have been willing to have
gone back, and sentences of this kind do not
have the same standing. They are heard frequently
and there is nothing wrong with them
beyond being too wordy, but I would have been
willing to go back is more literary.
The present-tense auxiliaries will, may, can,
and the past-tense forms would, might, could,
are used in clauses of purpose. A present-tense
auxiliary is required after a present-tense verb,
and a past-tense auxiliary after a past-tense
verb, as in he is saving his money so he can buy
a car and he saved his money so he could buy
a car. In the United Stata an infinitive construction
is preferred to either of these clauses,
as in he is saving (or saved) his money to buy
a car.
sublime; sublimated; subliminal. Sublime has general
applications. Sublimated and subliminal
have scientific applications only. Sublime means
elevated or lofty in thought, language (If any
poem deserves to be called sublime, it is Paradise
Lost); impressing the mind with a sense
of grandeur or power, inspiring awe or veneration
(Mont St. Michel is a sublime sight).
It may also mean supreme or perfect (For a
sublime moment, just before Diestl fired, Noah
was happy ) .
Sublimated, the past participle of sublimate,
is a psychological term. It means to deflect
sexual and other biological energies into nonphysical
or more acceptable channels (Much of
his passion was sublimated into a desire to help
the unfortunate). Subliminal is another psychological
term. It means below the threshold of
consciousness (. . . the subliminal ego doubtless
deals the cards, as the throng of sleeping images,
at this call or that, move toward the light).
submit may be followed by the -ing form of a
verb with the preposition to, as in he will not
submit to being separated from her, or by an
infinitive, as in people will not submit to have
their throats cut. The -ing form is generally
preferred.
Although authorities in England consider
such use obsolete, it is standard American usage
to employ submit to mean to subject, especially
oneself, to conditions imposed, to accept treatment
(You must submit to the regime of the
hospital. He submitted himself to the policeman’s
suspicious scrutiny).
subnormal. See abnormal.
subordinate clauses. See clauses.
subpoena. The plural is subpoenas, not subpoenae.
sub rosa. Whether in Latin sub rosa or English
under the rose, as a term for strict confidence,
absolute privacy, complete secrecy, the expre.ssion
is stale and a little forced.
There are a number of explanations of its ori-