
More about the Subjunctive Mood
Normal Form | Normal Example | Subjunctive Form | Subjunctive Example |
"am," "are," "is" ("to be" in the presen ... | I am available. You are lucky. She is he ... | "be" | I demand that I be available. I ask that ... |
"has" (third person singular of "to have ... | She has a chance. | "have" | I demand she have a chance. |
"was" (first person and third person sin ... | I was free. He was happy. | "were" | If I were free, I'd go. I wish he were h ... |
"prepares," "works," "sings," etc. | She makes sushi. | "prepare," "work," "sing," etc. (remove ... | I propose she make sushi. |
Full Answer
What is an example of subjunctive mood?
Simple Examples of the Subjunctive Mood
- If it were me, I would go.
- (As this explores a hypothetical circumstance, “was” becomes “were.”)
- I wished it were real.
- (As this exhibits a wish, “was” becomes “were.”)
- It is essential that the wedding begin at once.
- (As this exhibits a demand, “begins” becomes “begin.”)
- I suggest he work part time.
- (As this exhibits a suggestion, “works” becomes “work.”)
How do you write in the subjunctive mood?
In the subjunctive mood, the base form of the verb (such as work, live, be, and so forth) is always used in present-tense constructs, regardless of the subject of the sentence.. Example: I demand that he be paid what he is worth!. For most verbs (other than to be, for example), this means that in the subjunctive, the third-person form is the same as all of the other verb forms.
Which sentence is written in subjunctive mood?
The subjunctive mood is used with verbs of advice or suggestion. The subjunctive appears in a clause beginning with the word -that after verbs of recommendation or advice. Here are some of the verbs of suggestion or advice that typically are used in the subjunctive mood.
What is indicative and subjunctive?
indicative--for stating facts; subjunctive--for stating possibilities, conjectures, "what if," what someone else said, thought or believed. Subjunctive II expresses hypothetical and "counterfactual" statements ("what if," "I wish," "I would," "I could" etc.). Normally, if someone speaks about "the subjunctive," they mean Subjunctive II.

What is an example of subjunctive mood?
The subjunctive mood is for expressing wishes, proposals, suggestions, or imagined situations. For example, in the sentence "I wish it were Friday", the verb "were" is written in the subjunctive mood.
How do you explain the subjunctive mood?
The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, suggestions, demands, or desires in a sentence with usually two clauses, with a verb such as wish (or suggest, demand, etc.) in one clause and a second verb in the subjunctive mood. In the sentence 'I wish I were the president' the verb 'were' is in the subjunctive mood.
What are subjunctive words?
The English subjunctive is a special, relatively rare verb form that expresses something desired or imagined. We use the subjunctive 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.
What is the effect of subjunctive mood?
Often, the subjunctive describes an action that a person hopes or wishes they could do now or in the future. A verb in the subjunctive mood generally indicates a situation or condition that is a possibility, a hope, or a wish. It also may express a verb in a conditional, doubtful, or hypothetical sense.
How do you know if a verb is subjunctive?
In most cases, the subjunctive form of a verb is usually the third-person form of the verb with the ‑s dropped, but the verb to be is a special case. The subjunctive is used after certain expressions that contain an order or a request, a hypothetical, or a wish.
How do you know if its subjunctive or indicative?
We use the indicative to talk about facts we consider to be certain. We use the subjunctive to describe how we feel about those facts, and to express uncertainty.
What is a subjunctive form in a sentence?
The subjunctive form is the verb form used to explore a hypothetical situation (for example, If I were you) or to express a wish, a demand, or a suggestion (For example, I demand he be present). These are auxiliary or additional verbs that express necessity or possibility.
What are the three types of subjunctive?
The 4 subjunctive tenses that we will cover are the present subjunctive, the imperfect (past) subjunctive, the present perfect subjunctive, and the pluperfect subjunctive.
What's the opposite of subjunctive?
indicativeThe subjunctive is one of the irrealis moods, which refer to what is not necessarily real. It is often contrasted with the indicative, a realis mood which is used principally to indicate that something is a statement of fact.
What are the two types of subjunctive mood?
The subjunctive exists in four tenses: the present, imperfect, perfect and pluperfect. It occurs in both the active and passive voice. In addition to this, the endings of subjunctive verbs can alter across the conjugations.
How do you form the subjunctive?
For most verbs, the present subjunctive is formed by dropping the -o ending from the first person singular yo of the present indicative and adding the present subjunctive endings. The present subjunctive endings are different for –ar verbs (–e, -es, -e, -emos, -en) and –er/-ir verbs (–a, -as, -a, -amos, -an).
Is subjunctive a tense?
We refer to the subjunctive not as a tense, but as a mood. Whereas in foreign languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian, the subjunctive mood comprises a completely different set of verb forms and spellings from the indicative forms, in English the difference is hardly tangible.
What are the three types of subjunctive?
The 4 subjunctive tenses that we will cover are the present subjunctive, the imperfect (past) subjunctive, the present perfect subjunctive, and the pluperfect subjunctive.
How do you identify the subjunctive in Spanish?
The Spanish subjunctive in action: the dos and don'tsThere are two verbs in the sentence, with a “que” in between them. For example: ... The 'person' of the first verb is different to the 'person' of the second verb. For example: ... The first of those two verbs express uncertainty, doubt, a wish or any kind of emotion.
Which feeling does the subjunctive verb mood Express?
Subjunctive Mood. The subjunctive mood is used to express suggestions, recommendations, advice, demands, wishes, and doubts. It is also used to talk about hypothetical (imaginary) situations or something that is contrary to fact.
What is the meaning of indicative mood?
a statement of fact1. Indicative Mood: This mood is used to express a fact statement. The verb in the indicative mood expresses an action as a statement of fact.
What does the subjunctive mood mean?
Updated December 02, 2020. In English grammar, the subjunctive mood represents a verb expressing wishes, stipulating demands, or making statements contrary to fact. The word subjunctive comes from the Latin word "subjungere" meaning to subjoin, bind, or subordinate.
What are some examples of subjunctive mood?
Subjunctive Mood Examples in Media 1 "I wouldn't bring up Paris if I were you. It's poor salesmanship."#N#(Humphrey Bogart as Rick in Casablanca, 1942) 2 "Even the dog, an animal used to bizarre surroundings, developed a strange, off-register look, as if he were badly printed in overlapping colors."#N#(S.J. Perelman, quoted by Roy Blount, Jr., in Alphabet Juice, 2008) 3 "Well sir, all I can say is if I were a bell, I'd be ringing!"#N#(Frank Loesser, "If I Were a Bell." Guys and Dolls, 1950) 4 "If music be the food of love, play on."#N#(Duke Orsino in "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare) 5 "If I see one more shirttail flapping while I'm captain of this ship, woe betide the sailor; woe betide the OOD; and woe betide the morale officer. I kid you not."#N#(Humphrey Bogart as Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg in The Caine Mutiny, 1954) 6 "In the night he awoke and held her tight as though she were all of life and it was being taken away from him."#N#(Robert Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, 1940)
What is present subjunctive?
The present subjunctive is the bare form of a verb or a verb with no prefix or suffix. It does not show agreement with its subject. (Example: "I strongly recommend that he retire .") There are two patterns of the present subjunctive: Formulaic Subjunctive. Mandative Subjunctive.
What is the German verb for "speak"?
German Verb Conjugation of Sprechen (To Speak)
What is thoughtco?
ThoughtCo is part of the Dotdashpublishing family.
Is the subjunctive used in informal speech?
. In many instances, the indicative mood has come to replace the subjunctive. Because it is difficult to use the subjunctive correctly in informal speech and even writing in the context of modern English, many scholars agree that this mood has run its course.
What Is Mood?
Mood is the form a verb takes to show how it is to be regarded (e.g., as a fact, a command, a wish, an uncertainty).
Why does subjunctive mood fade?
In fact, the subjunctive mood is pretty inefficient as a language tool , and, as a language develops , ...
What to do if your verb sounds awful?
If you think your verb in the subjunctive mood sounds awful, bin it (and enjoy today's leniency).
What is the mood of a verb?
Mood is the form a verb takes to show how it is to be regarded (e.g., as a fact, a command, a wish, an uncertainty). There are three major moods in English: The Indicative Mood. This states facts or asks questions. For example:
What adjectives attract subjunctive mood?
The following adjectives – especially when used with the word that – often attract the subjunctive mood: crucial, essential, important, imperative, and necessary. It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself.
What do we ask of a president?
All we ask of a president is that he be likeable. We seem to have given up on the Pentagon's corrupt use of our tax dollars. (Author Donella Meadows)
What is Smashing Grammar?
Written by the founder of Grammar Monster, "Smashing Grammar" includes a glossary of grammar essentials (from apostrophes to zeugma) and a chapter on easily confused words (from affect/effect to whether/if). Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real-life, entertaining examples. All entries conclude with a section highlighting why the grammar point is relevant for a writer and top-level bullet points summarizing the entry. If you like Grammar Monster, you'll love this book. [ More…]
What is Subjunctive Mood?
In English grammar, the term mood means the quality, form, or tone of a verb in a sentence. Mood helps to convey the writer's attitude toward their subject. It also may be referred to as mode or modality.
How many types of mood are there?
The English language contains five types of mood. The type/category of mood depends on whether the verb expresses 1) a fact (the indicative mood), 2) a command (the imperative mood), 3) a question (the interrogative mood), 4) a condition (the conditional mood), or 5) a wish or possibility (the subjunctive mood).
How to create a negative subjunctive mood?
To create a negative in the subjunctive mood, add "not" before the subjunctive verb. For example:
What is the meaning of "recommend" in Shakespeare?
I recommend that you attend the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night's Dream. (The word "recommend" is a verb of suggestion/advice. The word "that" is an indicator of the subjunctive mood. The verb "attend" is the present subjunctive.)
What is indicative mood?
1) INDICATIVE - The indicative mood is used to state facts and opinions, as in: "My mom's lasagna is my favorite food in the world."
What is present subjunctive?
The present subjunctive is the "bare" or most basic form of a verb, meaning that it has no prefix or suffix. It does not change to show agreement with its subject. Often, the word "that" appears before the subject and the subjective verb. Here are some sentences containing the present subjunctive:
What does it mean to enroll in a course?
Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams.
What does subjunctive mean?
(Entry 1 of 2) : of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or set of verb forms that represents a denoted act or state not as fact but as contingent or possible or viewed emotionally (as with doubt or desire) the subjunctive mood.
When to use subjunctives?
Subjunctives can be used to express doubt.
What are the tenses of the subjunctive?
As discussed above, the tenses of the subjunctive reflect ASPECT, not time. It may be of no surprise to learn that the PRESENT and AORIST are the most common tenses of the subjunctive that you will encounter. The PERFECT subjunctive appears rarely in Greek (S 691-693).
What is subjunctive mood?
The subjunctive mood primarily refers to HYPOTHETICAL actions in the PRESENT or FUTURE, i.e., in the same time covered by the PRIMARY tenses of verbs. There are only three tenses of the subjunctive, each of which express ASPECT, not time: present. aorist. perfect.
How many uses of subjunctive in main clauses?
There are three uses of the subjunctive in main clauses:
What is a prohibitive subjunctive?
The PROHIBITIVE subjunctive is used to express prohibitions (S 1800). Common characteristics of the prohibitive subjunctive are: It is used only in the AORIST tense. It is usually in the 2nd PERSON (rarely in the 3rd PERSON) It is always accompanied by the negative μή.
What is the meaning of personal endings in Greek?
ALL verbs in Greek use exactly the same personal endings to mark the subjunctive mood. These personal endings are THEMATIC PRIMARY endings , though with the thematic vowel lengthened ( ω / η) (S 457).
Where are the delibriating subjunctives found?
DELIBERATIVE subjunctives are always found in QUESTIONS. This distinguishes them from HORTATORY subjunctives, which are statements.
What are the three moods of Greek verbs?
We have already learned three moods of Greek verbs: the indicative, infinitive, and the imperative.
