The Subjunctive Form

By: Sean Savoie

Many students, and sometimes even teachers, are confused by the subjunctive form. Many ESL teachers explain that the subjunctive form is simply a more polite way of speaking, but although it may seem polite, this is not the only function of the subjunctive form. The next few articles will focus more carefully on this often misunderstood use of English.

First, it is important to understand that the subjective form of a verb and the subjective mood of a sentence are two different things.

According to my Webster's dictionary, the subjunctive mood is "of or being a grammatical mood typically used for subjective, doubtful, hypothetical, or grammatically subordinate statements or questions."

You can see from the above definition that the subjunctive mood includes the use of modals such as, could, should, would, may, might, etc. The subjunctive mood also includes much of the practice we have done with the real and unreal conditional sentences in recent articles.

We will take a more careful look at the subjunctive mood, but first we should look at how the subjunctive form of a verb can actually soften the tone of an urgent statement or request. The subjunctive form of a verb is really the infinitive verb (to go, to eat, to be) with the word "to" omitted. Take a look at the sentence below:

The doctor suggested that he get some sleep before returning to work.

In the above sentence the word "get" instead of the word "gets" is used even though the sentence uses the third person pronoun. This is because the word "get" is really the verb phrase "to get". Some higher level students will also notice that the direct object of the sentence is a noun clause. In its noun form, the noun clause may also be in the subject position of the sentence, although this might not be the most natural way to form it. Take a look at the sentence below:

That he get some sleep before returning to work was suggested by the doctor.

The subjunctive form is very commonly used after expressions of urgency. In most cases, a delayed subject is used and the word "it" functions as a placeholder for the real subject of the sentence. Take a look at the difference between the two sentences below.

He must read the directions before he does the project.

It is important that he read the directions before he does the project.

In the first sentence, the subject is "he", but in the second sentence the subject is "that he read the directions". Take a look at the sentences below, all of which express urgency in a situation:

1) It is best that he give me a call before coming by my office this afternoon.

2) It is imperative that she get inoculations before visiting the country.

3) It is vital that he study advanced grammar before taking the SAT test.

4) It is really necessary that she continue to search for a job.

5) It is urgent that you get in touch with me before you sign that business deal.

6) It is recommended that you see a doctor before you take that medicine.

The subjunctive form of a verb is also commonly used when expressing a request. In this case, the delayed subject is not used; more often the person who is requesting is the grammatical subject of the sentence. Notice how, in the sentences below, the verb is in its infinitive form and an "s" should not be used with the verb even though the pronoun is the third person "he or she".

1) My professor suggested that he go to see a counselor about his academic problems.

2) Her manager suggested that she take a week off to recover from the tragedy.

3) We all advised that he save his money and not by a car this year.

4) His wife urged that he call the police and make a full report.

5) Their neighbors asked that they turn down the music after 10pm.

6) I insisted that he revise his paper before handing it in to his professor.

7) The police demanded that she step out of the car.

8) The director proposed that we take a one-hour break for lunch.

9) I requested that the student turn off her cell phone during class time.

It is useful to pay special attention to the main verbs that are used in the above sentences because these verbs are often followed by the subjunctive form. Please also notice that each sentence has a noun clause that functions as the direct object of the sentence. In all of the sentences, the grammatical subject is a person who has some authority or power to strongly request an action. In this way, the request is powerful, yet it is softened by a slightly indirect expression.