ENGLISH CLUB
Subjunctive
mood
ENGLISH B2
WhAT IT IS? 01
The subjunctive mood is used to express wishes, hypothetical situations,
demands, or suggestions. It's often found in clauses beginning with "if" or in
sentences that express something contrary to fact. This mood is less
common in English than in some other languages, but it's important for
conveying nuances in situations that are not certain or are purely imagined.
WE USE IT WHEN TALKING ABOUT
EVENTS THAT SOMEBODY:
1. wants to happen to express wishes, demands,
2. anticipates will happen suggestions, or hypothetical situations
3. imagines happening that are not necessarily true
STRUCTURES
Base Subjunctive be after if
Fixed expressions were-Subjunctive
Base Subjunctive
For all verbs and all persons,
Person Verb: Be Verb: Work Verb: Sing the form is the base of the verb,
I be work sing for example: be, have, do, go,
You be work sing
sing, work
He/She/It be work sing
We be work sing
the subjunctive does
You (plural) be work sing not change at all
according to person
They be work sing
The base subjunctive is typically used in that clauses after two structures:
1. suggest-verb (or noun) + that
advise, ask, command, demand, desire, insist, order, prefer, propose,
recommend, request, suggest
command, demand, order, proposal, recommendation, request,
suggestion
2. advisable/anxious-adjective + that
advisable, best, crucial, desirable, essential, imperative, important,
necessary, unthinkable, urgent, vital
adamant, anxious, determined, eager, keen
structure
that + subject + base of the verb + (not) + compl
Subject + predicate + that clause with subjunctive
Subject + predicate + DET + suggest-noun + that clause with subjunctive
Subject + copulative predicate + advisable-adjective + that clause with subjunctive
Subject + copulative predicate + anxious-adjective + that clause with subjunctive
the main clause
can be in any tense
SOME EXAMPLES
NEGATIVE FORM EXERCISE
The judges order that he stay the execution.
We have made a request that we not be disturbed.
The board of directors recommended that he not be dismissed.
CONTINUOS FORM
It is important that a car be waiting when we arrive.
be after if
We sometimes use subjunctive be after if/whether, though this is rather formal,
especially in British English:
If that be (not) the case,
I intend to report the matter.
Whether he be prepared or not,
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
-William Shakespeare
Fixed expressions
Bless you! Long live the President!
God bless America! Heaven forbid!
God save the Queen. Heaven help us!
were-Subjunctive
were-subjunctive
Person
be
I were
You were
He/She/It were
We were
You (plural) were
They were
USE OF WERE-SUBJUNCTIVE
INSTEAD OF WAS WATCH OUT!
In the following examples, you can see that we
Strange as it may seem, although the words
sometimes use the were-subjunctive (instead of
hope and wish seem to be similar, we do not
was) after:
use the subjunctive with hope. Correct
IF
In these cases, were is sentences with hope would be, for example:
AS IF
always correct, but was is I hope that this computer works.
WISH
possible in informal I hope that this computer is working.
SUPPOSE
language:
some times...
It is also correct to put the auxiliary “be” in past at the beginning of
the sentences in were-subjunctive clauses:
Were I in your position, I would stay home.
Were I you, I would study more.
If Sam were more confident, he would have been the manager.
As you can see, we have the subordinate-subjunctive clause at the
beginning of the sentence followeed by the main clause.
let’s practice
You’ll find an exercise in Classroom about uses of
were-subjunctive.
Do it and let me know next class if you got any
questions about this topic!
THANK
YOU!