Transcript of SOS Grammar Lesson 16 – The English Subjunctive

Speaker1:
SOS Grammar Lesson 16: The English Subjunctive. In today’s lesson, we will discuss the subjunctive in English, how and why it’s used and its structure.

The English subjunctive is a verb mood. It’s a grammar concept used to express hypothetical or non-real situations. This lesson will explore the various uses of the English subjunctive, how to form it and when to use it. We’ll look at the present and past forms.

It’s not very often used in modern English, but it’s still an important aspect of the language and it’s worth learning about. It’s a common feature of many languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Russian, amongst others. So if it’s a feature of your native language, it might be interesting for you to compare the two languages.

We use the subjunctive mainly when talking about events that are not certain to happen. For example, we use it when expressing a wish. “I wish I had more free time.” Something important. “It is crucial that we finalise the budget before Friday.” A recommendation. “I suggest that you take time to read over the proposal.” We can also use it for an anticipation or for an imagination.

Let’s look at the present subjunctive. Now the present subjunctive is formed with the base form of the verb. So in the present tense, it is used to express things that are not facts, such as wishes, doubts, or possibilities. So let’s have a look at some examples to see the structure. But first, before we do that, we need to conjugate the verb.

Speaker1:
So if we take the verb, ‘speak’ for example. “I speak.” “You speak.” “He/She/It speak.” “We speak.” “They speak.” And what you’ll notice is that unlike in the way that we normally conjugate this verb in the present tense, we have dropped the s for the third person.

For example, “It is important that I speak with my manager.” “It is important that you speak with my manager.” “It is important that she speak with the manager.”

Here are some more examples for you. “It is important that he be on time for the meeting.” The present subjunctive of ‘be’. “I recommend that you study harder for your exams.” Present subjunctive of ‘study’. “I suggest that we consider all of the potential risks before proceeding with the project.” Present subjunctive of ‘consider’. “I insist that she follow the safety guidelines.” Present subjunctive of ‘follow’. “It is essential that they work as a team on this project.” The present subjunctive of ‘work’.

So as you can see, the structure is the main clause and then the dependent clause which has ‘that’ in it, and it’s followed by a verb in the base form.

We can also use it to express an imperative statement in the subjunctive form. So, for example, imperative form. “Do your homework” can become “I wish that you would do your homework.”

To form the subjunctive, we use verbs followed by ‘that’. Here are some examples of verbs that we might use. Suggest. Recommend. Propose. Insist. Demand. Advise. Ask. Command. Demand. Desire. Insist. Order. Prefer. Propose. Recommend. Request.

So to go back to what we talked about. “I suggest ‘that’ you choose this piece of clothing.” “I recommend that.” “I propose that.” “I insist that.” or “I demand that.”

We can also use adjectives followed by ‘that’ to form the subjunctive, or the subjunctive mood. Here are some examples: Advisable. Best. Crucial. Desirable. Essential. Imperative. Important. Necessary. Unthinkable. Urgent. Vital. Adamant. Anxious. Determined. Eager. Keen.

So for the first examples that I gave: advisable. “It is advisable that”, “It is best that”, “It is crucial that”, “It is crucial that you are on time for the meeting.”

Okay, so here are some examples of the subjunctive mood in the present form. “She suggests that you be present at the morning meeting.” So in that example, you notice we have ‘suggest’, which is the verb; ‘that’ you ‘be’ present. So the verb ‘be’ stays in its normal form. “My HR manager recommended that we interview this candidate.” “She requested that the locks be changed as soon as possible.” “They made a suggestion that we turn up early.” “He proposed that the company not buy any more shares.” “It is advisable that she rest for a week.”

Now, the use of subjunctive as above is more common in American English than in British or in Australian English where ‘should’ structures are often used. For example, “It was essential that we should vote the following day.” “He made a proposal that the company should not buy any more shares.” “It is vital that they should be warned of the consequences.” “I recommend that you should see a doctor.”

Something that I want you to notice too, is the position of ‘not’ when creating negation. So, for example, if we look at this example, “He proposed that the company not buy any more shares.”

And the other thing I want you to notice is the main cause can be in any tense, but the clause that contains ‘that’ must include the base verb, as we spoke about.

Now let’s have a look at the past subjunctive. The past subjunctive is a verb form that is used to express things that are not facts, such as wishes, doubts, or possibilities in the past tense. Now the past subjunctive has the same form as the past simple tense. Except in the case of the verb ‘be’. Traditionally, the past subjunctive form of ‘be’ is ‘were’ for all people, including the first and third person singular.

So here are some examples of the past subjunctive. “If I were you, I would have taken the job.” This could also be written as “I would have taken the job if I were you.” “It was important that he be on time for the meeting.” “I wish I had more time.” Past subjunctive of ‘have’. “If I had known about the change in the plans, I would have come.” Past subjunctive of ‘know’. “I wish I had been more supportive.” “I wish he had been more supportive of my ideas.” Past subjunctive of ‘be’. “If they were here, they would have helped.” Past subjunctive of ‘be’.

Speaker1:
Note that the verb ‘be’ is an exception to the rule for forming the past subjunctive. Now the past subjunctive form is ‘were’. For example, “If I ‘were’ you, I would have taken the job.” “I wish she ‘were’ here.”

What we also notice, in the following examples, that we use the worst subjunctive after certain expressions. So we use it after ‘if’, ‘as if’, ‘she or he behaves as if’, ‘if only’, ‘wish’, ‘suppose’ or ‘it’s time’.

So here are some examples where we use some of those. “If I were younger, I would travel around the world.” “I wouldn’t drive to Sydney if I were you, since it’s so hot.” “I would go if I were younger.” “I’d tell her if I were you.” “It’s time the Prime Minister took the matter into his hands.” “She acts as if she were the queen.” “She behaves as if she were the only person on earth.” “If only I had a faster computer, I could do this quicker.” “I wish I weren’t so slow.” “I wish it weren’t so cold today.” “Suppose you were me, what would you say?”

Now, the English subjunctive is a vital grammar concept to understand and use. Knowing when to use it and how to form it can help make your writing more accurate and precise. It is a mood that’s not used very often, but it’s important to understand how to use it. So go ahead and do the quiz to help test your knowledge from this lesson.