Subjunctive Mood 2

Subjunctive

The following is a mini-tutorial on the use of the Subjunctive. After you have studied the tutorial, complete the associated exercises. If you already know how to use this verb form, you can skip the explanation and go directly to the exercises.

FORM

Use the simple form of the verb. The simple form is the infinitive without the "to." The simple form of the verb "to go" is "go." The Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses.

USE

The Subjunctive is used to emphasize urgency or importance. It is used after certain expressions (see below).

Examples:

• I suggest that he study.
• Is it essential that we be there?
• Don recommended that you join the committee.

NOTICE

The Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses. In the examples below, the Subjunctive is not noticeable in the you-form of the verb, but it is noticeable in the he-form of the verb.

Examples:

• You try to study often. you-form of "try"
• It is important that you try to study often. Subjunctive form of "try" looks the same.

• He tries to study often. he-form of "try"
• It is important that he try to study often. Subjunctive form of "try" is noticeable here.

Verbs Followed by the Subjunctive

The Subjunctive is used after the following verbs:
to advise (that)
to ask (that)
to command (that)
to demand (that)
to desire (that)
to insist (that)
to propose (that)
to recommend (that)
to request (that)
to suggest (that)
to urge (that)

Examples:

• Dr. Smith asked that Mark submit his research paper before the end of the month.
• Donna requested Frank come to the party.
• The teacher insists that her students be on time.

Expressions Followed by the Subjunctive

The Subjunctive is used after the following expressions:
It is best (that)
It is crucial (that)
It is desirable (that)
It is essential (that)
It is imperative (that)
It is important (that)
It is recommended (that)
It is urgent (that)
It is vital (that)
It is a good idea (that)
It is a bad idea (that)

Examples:

• It is crucial that you be there before Tom arrives.
• It is important she attend the meeting.
• It is recommended that he take a gallon of water with him if he wants to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Negative, Continuous and Passive Forms of Subjunctive

The Subjunctive can be used in negative, continuous and passive forms.

Negative Examples:

• The boss insisted that Sam not be at the meeting.
• The company asked that employees not accept personal phone calls during business hours.
• I suggest that you not take the job without renegotiating the salary.

Passive Examples:

• Jake recommended that Susan be hired immediately.
• Christine demanded that I be allowed to take part in the negotiations.
• We suggested that you be admitted to the organization.

Continuous Examples:

• It is important that you be standing there when he gets off the plane.
• It is crucial that a car be waiting for the boss when the meeting is over.
• I propose that we all be waiting in Tim's apartment when he gets home.

Should as Subjunctive

After many of the above expressions, the word "should" is sometimes used to express the idea of subjunctiveness. This form is used more frequently in British English and is most common after the verbs "suggest," "recommend" and "insist."

Examples:

• The doctor recommended that she should see a specialist about the problem.
• Professor William suggested that Wilma should study harder for the final exam.

EXERCISES AND RELATED TOPICS:

• Subjunctive Exercise 1

To reach

reach 1 /riːtʃ/ sustantivo

1.  
   1. countable (distance) alcance m
   2. (in phrases) within reach a mi (or tu etc) alcance;
      to be within easy ~ [book] estar^(conj.⇒) muy a mano;
      [station] quedar muy cerca;
      within ~ of sth cerca de algo;
      out of o beyond reach fuera de su (or mi etc) alcance

2. countable (of river) tramo m;
   the upper/lower ~es of the Nile la cuenca alta/baja del Nilo

reach 2 verbo transitivo

1.  
   1. (with hand) alcanzar^(conj.⇒) ;
      can you ~ the top shelf? ¿alcanzas el estante de arriba?
   2. (extend to) llegar^(conj.⇒) a;
      my feet can hardly ~ the pedals apenas alcanzo los pedales con los pies

2.  
   1. ‹destination/limit/age› llegar^(conj.⇒) a;
      ‹stage/figure› llegar^(conj.⇒) a, alcanzar^(conj.⇒) ;
      applications must ~ us by … las solicitudes deben ser recibidas antes de …
   2. ‹agreement/compromise› llegar^(conj.⇒) a, alcanzar^(conj.⇒) ;
      I've ~ed the conclusion that … he llegado a la conclusión de que …

3.  
   1. (contact) contactar or ponerse^(conj.⇒) en contacto con;
      where can I ~ you? ¿cómo puedo ponerme en contacto contigo?
   2. (gain access to) ‹public/audience› llegar^(conj.⇒) a

4. (pass): to ~ sb sth alcanzarle^(conj.⇒) algo a algn

verbo intransitivo

1. (extend hand, arm): she ~ed into her pocket metió la mano en el bolsillo;
   to ~ FOR sth: he ~ed for his gun echó mano a la pistola;
   she ~ed across the table for the salt agarró or (esp Esp) cogió la sal, que estaba al otro lado de la mesa

2. (stretch far enough) alcanzar^(conj.⇒) ;
   I can't ~! ¡no alcanzo!, ¡no llego!

3. (extend) extenderse^(conj.⇒) ;
   the water ~ed (up) to our knees el agua nos llegaba hasta las rodillas;
   her hair ~es down to her waist el pelo le llega hasta la cintura

Phrasal Verbs
reach out

1. v + adv
   1. (with hand) alargar^(conj.⇒) or extender^(conj.⇒) la mano;
      to ~out for sth: he ~ed out for the knife alargó or extendió la mano para agarrar or (esp Esp) coger el cuchillo

Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive
This form is always identical to the infinitive. This means that apart from the verb to be, it is distinct from the indicative present only in the third person singular and the obsolete second person singular.
It is used to express wishes about the present or future:

God save our queen. (Not: God saves our queen, which means that it actually happens)

It can be used (in formal writing) to express present doubt, especially after if, whether, and lest and in set phrases:

If that have any validity....

If that be true,....

If he need go,....

If music be the food of life,....

Whether that be true or not,....

Lest he arrive too soon,....

Be that as it may,....

The subordinate conjunction whether can be replaced by inversion of be and the subject:

Be that true or not,....

It is also used in a mandative sense:

He insists that his son have a more conventional celebration. (He strongly wants that to be true in the future; contrast with the indicative usage He insists that his son has a more conventional celebration, in which he asserts that it is a fact.)

It is important that the process be carried out accurately.

I shall work for him on condition that he pay me weekly.

The present subjunctive can be written in the passive voice as in

If it be written,....

Imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used to express hypotheses about the present or future: it is used to describe unreal or hypothetical conditions. It consists of the verb were in all persons and numbers (including the first and third persons singular), either as the main verb or as a helping verb combined with the infinitive of the main verb.
It usually appears in "if clauses" of conditional sentences. Examples include:

• If I were rich, I would retire to the South of France.
• If I were a boy,....

Especially in formal usage, if may be omitted and the order of the subject and were inverted:

• Were I to speak, I would do so softly. (This is identical in meaning to If I were to speak,....)

When if means when (a fact) then the indicative is used. Compare

• If I were walking down the road, I would greet him. (The subjunctive is used for a hypothetical present situation; the main clause is in the conditional.)
• If I was walking down the road, I would greet him. (The indicative is used for a fact about habitual actions in the past; the main clause is in the past time and habitual aspect.)

The imperfect subjunctive is also used in "that clauses" after a wish:

• I'd rather that it were more substantial.
• I wish she were here.

This last example can be contrasted with I want her to be here, in which the indicative rather than the subjunctive is used because there is a substantial possibility that the hypothesis is (or will be) true.
The imperfect subjunctive can be written in the passive voice as in

If it were written....

or

Were it written....

Future subjunctive

A future subjunctive for use in "if clauses" can be constructed using the conjugated form of the verb "to be" plus the infinitive (including the particle to) or by using the modal auxiliary verb "should" (though the should form is very unusual in American English):

If I were to die tomorrow, then you would inherit everything.

If I should go, then will / would you feed the hens?

These constructions can alternatively be expressed with inversion of the order of were or should and the subject, with if omitted:

Were I to die tomorrow, then you would inherit everything.

Should I go, then will / would you feed the hens?

If the were to constructions is used in the "if clause", the word would is used in the main clause; if the shouldif clause", either will or would can be used in the main clause, depending on whether the event is very hypothetical (leading to the use of would) or is quite possible (permitting the use of will). form is used in the "
The passive voice can be applied to the future subjunctive as in any of the following:

If it were to be written tomorrow,....

Were it to be written tomorrow,....

If it should be written tomorrow,....

Adjectives

1. ambitious - unmotivated
2. generous - stingy
3. hardworking - lazy
4. honest - dishonest
5. humble - bigheaded
6. independent - dependent
7. kind - inconsiderate
8. nervous - calm
9. open-minded - close-minded
10. optimistic - pessimistic
11. outgoing - shy
12. punctual - late
13. reliable - unreliable
14. talkative - quiet
15. unselfish - self-centered

Prepositions1

• In: We use in to specify that a noun (object, person etc) is inside.

Figura #1:

• At: We use at to refer to a “general” location.

Figura # 2

• On: We use on when we want to say that an object or person is on the surface of another object.

Examples:

- Your books are on the shelf.

- Don’t put your hands on my head.

- There is an orange on the table.

We always say : on a horse, on a bike (bicycle) , on a motorcycle and we usually say on a plane.

Prepositions

The prepositions in, on, and at can be used to indicate time and place. Notice how they are used in the following situations:

Preposition	Time	Place
In	Year, Month, In 1999, In December	Country, State, City In Japan, In Utah, InTaipei
On	Day, Date On Saturday, On May 1	Street On Main Street, On 1st Ave.
At	Time At 8:00, At 7:30	Address At 815 East Main Street

In many languages, there is only one preposition for the above situations. In English there are three. Just remember that in usually indicates the "largest" time or place, and at usually indicates the "smallest" time or place. Examples:

A: Where's your office? B: In Taipei, Taiwan. A: Really? What part of Taipei? B: It's on Chung Shan North Road. A: I know that area. Where exactly is it? B: It's at 105 Chung Shan North Road, next to the bookstore. C: When is the wedding? D: It's in June. C: What day? D: It's on Saturday, the 25th. C: What time? D: It starts at 6:00.

Prepositions with articles and locations

When talking about locations, use at to indicate the general vicinity or area, and in to
indicate inside the building, enclosed area, etc. For example:

at the swimming pool (on site)	in the swimming pool (in the pool itself i.e. in the water)
at the post office/bank (general)	in the post office/bank (inside the building)
at the zoo (visitors, general area)	in the zoo (animals in their cages)
at school	in the classroom

Sample sentences:

I met my wife at the theater. (while watching a movie) I spilled my drink in the theater (on the floor of the building) She works at the library on Wednesdays. She found a rare coin in the library (building). Dr. Jones works at the hospital every day. John was in the hospital for a week with a broken leg.

For school, prison, and church, the is used to indicate the building. No article indicates
the general situation. Note the following:

"practice"/situation	building
in school (studying, listening to teacher, etc.)	in the school (building)
in jail/prison (staying there as a criminal)	in the jail/prison (temporary)
in church (praying, listening to a sermon, etc.)	in the church (building)

Where's Dad?

in church (attending services)	in the church (fixing the windows)
at church	at the church
in prison (He committed a crime.)	at the prison (visiting his friend)