Subjunctive

SUBJUNCTIVE

Subjunctive

The subjunctive is a special, relatively rare verb form in English.

Structure of the Subjunctive

The structure of the subjunctive is extremely simple. For all verbs except the past tense of be, the subjunctive is the same as the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"):

be (past)	be (present)	all other verbs (past & present)
I were you were he, she, it were we were you were they were	I be you be he, she, it be we be you be they be	I work you work he, she, it work we work you work they work

The subjunctive does not change according to person (I, you, he etc).

Verbs Followed by the Subjunctive

The Subjunctive is used after the following verbs:

to advise (that)
to ask (that)
to command (that)
to demand (that)
to desire (that)
to insist (that)
to propose (that)
to recommend (that)
to request (that)
to suggest (that)
to urge (that)

Examples:

·       Dr. Smith asked that Mark submit his research paper before the end of the month.

·       Donna requested Frank come to the party.

·       The teacher insists that her students be on time.

Expressions Followed by the Subjunctive

The Subjunctive is used after the following expressions:

It is best (that)
It is crucial (that)
It is desirable (that)
It is essential (that)
It is imperative (that)
It is important (that)
It is recommended (that)
It is urgent (that)
It is vital (that)
It is a good idea (that)
It is a bad idea (that)

Examples:

·       It is crucial that you be there before Tom arrives.

·       It is important she attend the meeting.

·       It is recommended that he take a gallon of water with him if he wants to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Use of the Subjunctive

We use subjunctives mainly when talking about events that are not certain to happen. For example, we use the subjunctive when talking about events that somebody:

• wants to happen
• anticipates will happen
• imagines happening

Look at these examples:

• The President requests that you be present at the meeting.
• It is vital that you be present at the meeting.
• If you were at the meeting, the President would be happy.

The subjunctive is typically used after two structures:

• the verbs: ask, command, demand, insist, propose, recommend, request, suggest + that
• the expressions: it is desirable, essential, important, necessary, vital + that

Here are some examples with the subjunctive:

• The manager insists that the car park be locked at night.
• The board of directors recommended that he join the company.
• It is essential that we vote as soon as possible.
• It was necessary that every student submit his essay by the weekend.

Notice that in these structures the subjunctive is always the same. It does not matter whether the sentence is past or present. Look at these examples:

• Present: The President requests that they stop the occupation.
• Past: The President requested that they stop the occupation.

• Present: It is essential that she be present.
• Past: It was essential that she be present.

Negative, Continuous and Passive Forms of Subjunctive

The Subjunctive can be used in negative, continuous and passive forms.

Negative Examples:

·       The boss insisted that Sam not be at the meeting.

·       The company asked that employees not accept personal phone calls during business hours.

·       I suggest that you not take the job without renegotiating the salary.

Passive Examples:

·       Jake recommended that Susan be hired immediately.

·       Christine demanded that I be allowed to take part in the negotiations.

·       We suggested that you be admitted to the organization.

Continuous Examples:

·       It is important that you be standing there when he gets off the plane.

·       It is crucial that a car be waiting for the boss when the meeting is over.

·       I propose that we all be waiting in Tim's apartment when he gets home.

The use of the subjunctive as above is more common in American English than in English, where should + infinitive is often used:

• The manager insists that the car park should be locked at night.
• It was essential that we should vote as soon as possible.

We usually use the subjunctive were instead of "was" after if (and other words with similar meaning). Look at these sentences:

• If I were you, I would ask her.
• Suppose she were here. What would you say?

Why do we say "I were", "he were"?

We sometimes hear things like "if I were you, I would go" or "if he were here, he would tell you". Normally, the past tense of the verb "to be" is: I was, he was. But the if I were you structure does not use the past simple tense of the verb "to be". It uses the past subjunctive of the verb "to be". In the following examples, you can see that we often use the subjunctive form were instead of "was" after:

• if
• as if
• wish
• suppose

Formal (The were form is correct at all times.)	Informal (The was form is possible in informal, familiar conversation.)
If I were younger, I would go.	If I was younger, I would go.
If he weren't so mean, he would buy one for me.	If he wasn't so mean, he would buy one for me.
I wish I weren't so slow!	I wish I wasn't so slow!
I wish it were longer.	I wish it was longer.
It's not as if I were ugly.	It's not as if I was ugly.
She acts as if she were Queen.	She acts as if she was Queen.
If I were you, I should tell her.	Note: We do not normally say "if I was you", even in familiar conversation.

Some fixed expressions use the subjunctive. Here are some examples:

• Long live the King!
• God bless America!
• Heaven forbid!
• Be that as it may, he still wants to see her.
• Come what may, I will never forget you.
• We are all citizens of the world, as it were.

Example

1.      It is essential that she be at the meeting.

2.      If I were you I would call her tonight.

3.      It is necessary that every student were a uniform.

4.      I hope that he finishes his homework on time.

5.      The doctors recommended that she take a holiday.

6.      The boss asks that you be early for your first day of work.

7.      If you were feeling better we would go.

8.      It is important that we call home as soon as we arrive.

9.      The landlord requested that John move out of the apartment.

10.  We want the windows to be washed before Friday.

11.  It's important that she (remember) remember to take her medicine twice a day.

12.  I suggest that Frank (read) read the directions carefully before assembling the bicycle. He doesn't want the wheels to fall off while he
is riding down a hill.

13.  Mrs. Finkelstein demanded that the heater (repair) be repaired immediately. Her apartment was freezing.

14.  It's vital that the United States (focus) focus on improving its public education system. What we do now will affect our country for
generations to come.

15.  The monk insisted that the tourists (enter) not enter the temple until they had removed their shoes.

16.   I am not going to sit here and let her insult me. I demand that she immediately (apologize) apologize for what she just said.

17.  Judy asked that we (attend) attend her graduation ceremony next week.

18.  Was it really necessary that (sit) I be sitting there watching you the entire time you were rehearsing for the play? It was really
boring watching you repeat the scenes over and over again.

19.  It is important to remember that Janine (think) thinks very differently from you. She may not agree to the changes you have made in
the organization of the company.

20.  It's a little difficult to find the restaurant. I propose that we all (drive) drive together so that nobody gets lost along the way.

21.  The woman insisted that the lost child (take) be taken to store's information desk so his parents could be paged.

22.  The nutritionist recommended that Sally (reduce) reduce her daily fat intake.

23.  The environmental leader felt it was extremely important that the people of the city (allow) be allowed to voice their concerns over the
new hotel being built on the bay.

24.  She told me that the government (regulate) regulates the airline industry. I don't know if that is true.

25.  The sign at the pool recommended that you (swim) not swim after eating a large meal.

26.  It is necessary that a life guard (monitor) monitor the summing pool while the children are taking their swimming lessons.

27.  The sun is scorching today. I suggest you (put) put on sun block immediately before you get a sun burn.

28.  John insists that Sarah (invite) be invited to the wedding; otherwise he will not attend.

29.  I think it's an interesting fact that she (come) comes from Estonia.

30.  It is imperative that the world (work) work towards a solution to global warming before the weather patterns of the world are
disrupted irreparably.