Would you possibly help me? She insisted that sit down.(subjunctive) She insisted that he sit down.(subjunctive) She insisted that he not sit down.(subjunctive) If the sentences above are right, could you tell me what about the followings? He told me(that) she had insisted that sit down. He told me(that) she had insisted that he sit down. He told me (that) she had insisted that he not sit down.
The first sentence in each group of three makes no sense. The other pairs seem correct to me. (Sit has to have a subject and no subject is provided in the incorrect sentences.)
Yes, the first one is incorrect. There is no subject in the sub-clause. So the other two are correct because they have the subject in the subordinate clause: She insisted that he sit down. The first is positive, the second is negative. That's fine. Your "He told me" sentences are essentially the same with a new main clause added to the beginning. In the first group as well as the second group of sentences the "that" is optional. It is a sub-clause marker, but you can leave sub-clause markers out if they represent the subject of the sub-clause and if they are understood. As the word "understood" suggests, everyone understands and knows what you mean and the sentence is just as clear without the word "that". You could have also said: She had insisted he sit down. He told me she had insisted he sit down. The same holds true for the negative versions.
