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SUBJECTS: English
YEARS: 5–6
Why is 'were' used in 'If I were king' and what is the subjunctive?
What do water sources and gossip have in common? If you don't know then you need to watch and listen as Professor Kate Burridge and Peter Rowsthorn explore these questions.
Things to think about
- 1.Do you ever hear people say 'If I were you, I'd …'? Where do your friends get together to talk? What do you talk about? Is all the information shared true? Do you think that the information is passed on to other people? What do we call this kind of information?
- 2.How was the verb 'were' used in English in the past? What did the Furphy family make? Why did the Furphy family name become a word to describe 'rumours'? When did the name take on this meaning? What other names of water sources does Kate mention that have developed into words meaning 'gossip' or 'rumour'?
- 3.Kate says that using the verb 'were' to show possibility, probability, doubt and desire (wishing) stopped, and that there were only a few examples left. What examples does she give? What verbs are still used to serve a similar purpose? What explanation does Kate give for why the names of water sources have come to mean 'gossip' or 'rumour'?
- 4.According to Kate, names of water sources such as 'scuttlebutt' have come to mean 'gossip' or 'rumour'. Do some research on the word 'scuttlebutt' to find out what it was, when it was used, where and when the new meaning for the word came into the language, and what the word has come to mean.
Date of broadcast: 29 Feb 2008
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