Jedná se pouze o básnický obrat nebo je to nějaký gramatický jev?
Cohen himself described 'If It Be Your Will" on more than one occasion as
“a prayer”, and this use of the present subjunctive after “if” (“If it
be …”) is now only poetic, biblical, high-style or literary (except for some
rural English dialects, where it sounds uneducated).
Interestingly, “whether it be …” (also present
subjunctive) is still current and idiomatic in present-day English, and is
interchangeable with the indicative mood “whether it is …”. You can also
use the inverted form “be it …”, though the inverted “be it” is less
likely in conversational style.
Aby byla podlaha stále pěkná, musíte o ni správně pečovat. At'
už jde o dřevo, lino či vinyl.
If you want to keep a floor looking good, you have to look after it
properly
- whether it be wood, lino or
vinyl.
- whether it is wood, lino or
vinyl.
- be it wood, lino or vinyl.