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Using Subjunctives: Understanding "The Mood"

 

Is the subjunctive really necessary?

We don't use the subjunctive very often in English unless we wish to sound formal. With verbs like suggest, recommend, insist, and adjectives like important, essential, imperative, crucial, vital, we often use should + infinitive instead of the subjunctive or we can use the normal tense form.

The Subjunctive in English is the MOOD of a verb that always comes in the simple/base form. The subjunctive mood of verbs comes after certain verbs indicating that one person wants/insists/desires another person to do something.

 Those certain verbs are called subjunctive verbs.

Subjunctive Verbs:

Advise

Demand

Prefer

Require

Ask

Insist

Propose

Stipulate

Command

Urge

Recommend

Suggest

Decree

Order

Request

The Structure of Subjunctive Mood:

Sub (1) + Subjunctive Verb (any tense) + that + Sub (2) + Base Form of Verb + Complement

Examples:

 - Jose has advised that Andrea go to movies.

 - Robert insisted that I work on my report. 

 - The principal demands that we study hard.

 - He suggested that I buy this car.

 - She proposed that we get engaged.

Here, the conjunction ‘that’ is as important as the subjunctive verbs. Without ‘that’, the structure changes a lot and does NOT follow the mood of subjunctives:

Sub + Subjunctive Verbs (any tense) + that + Object + Infinitive (to + verb) + Complement

Examples

 - We recommend you to go to movies.  (No ‘that’, no subjunctive)

 - He advised me to study hard.

However, the subjunctive verbs with the conjunction ‘that’ always follow the subjunctive mood (first structure). 

There are some adjectives also that create a subjunctive mood. These adjectives come after the ‘be verbs’ along with the conjunction ‘that’ and create a subjunctive mood for the next verb. These adjectives are called subjunctive adjectives.

Subjunctive Adjectives:

Advised

Necessary

Urgent

Required

Important

Obligatory

Mandatory

Suggested

Recommended

Imperative

Structure:

It + Be Verbs (any tense) + Subjunctive Adjective + that + Sub + Base Form of Verb + Comp

Examples:

 - It was advised that Andrea go to movies.

 - It is imperative that I work on my report. 

 - It was necessary that we study hard.

 - It is urgent that I buy a car.

 - It was required that we get engaged.

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