subjunctive mood - Be it that,were to, and should - what were the differences between these conditionals?




  1. Be it that John ask me, I shall answer him.

  2. Should John ask me, I will (or should? or would?) answer him.

  3. Were John to ask me, I would answer him.



When writers used the foregoing constructions, how, and according to what rule, did the meanings of the other three differ from one another?


Thank you.


-Hal




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