The subjunctive mood in English

The subjunctive mood in English –
a guide to usage
Definitions
In the English language, verbs are used in contexts called moods.
These verbal moods are:
•
•
•

indicative – simple statement or question (Jill picks up the
ball.)
imperative – a command (Jill, pick up the ball !)
subjunctive – a statement contrary to fact, a wish, a
mandative statement (I request that Jill pick up the ball.)

There are varying definitions of the subjunctive in English.
Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary
defines subjunctive as “in grammar, designating or of that mood of
a verb used to express condition, hypothesis, contingency,
possibility, etc., rather than to state an actual fact: distinguished
from imperative, indicative.”
One important note: many scholars have dismissed the
persistence of the subjunctive in its unmarked form, that is, when it
is indistinguishable from the indicative. “I wish you were here” and
“I wish they were here” are every bit in the subjunctive as “I wish
she were here”. Just because “you” and “they” take “were” in both
moods does not negate the existence of the subjunctive. Trust that
in the earlier days of English, when verbs were distinguished by
inflection (e.g., different ending forms), the indicative and
subjunctive were quite distinct. A hallmark of the subjunctive is that
tenses are often mixed – one says “I wish [present] she were [past?

– ah, subjunctive] here” instead of “I wish [present] she is [present
indicative, but incorrect] here”.

Learning by examples
Counterfactual statements


If I were you, then I would not do that.
I am not you, however, so I use the subjunctive to express this
hypothetical or counterfactual condition. Especially note that the
modern usage If I was you is completely incorrect.
If only she were here, then she would speak up.
She is not here, however, so the subjunctive expresses that fact
appropriately. Again, If only she was has drifted into modern usage
and should be avoided.
We should act as if he were watching.
We doubt that he is watching or know that he is not.
It is as though she were here.
We know she is not here, but it seems so.
Wishful statements
She wishes she were not here.
The modern usage She wishes she was is incorrect.
He wishes he had a hammer.
Without the subjuctive, this would be constructed in the indicative
as He wishes he has a hammer, but the indicative is incorrect.
I wish I knew.
This formulation is distinctly different the following indicative
statement: I wish I know (which makes no sense). The indicative is
inappropriate here.
Conjunctive formulations

Do this now, lest you be harried later.
Lest typically takes the subjunctive.
He keeps the faith, though he face so many trials.
Here, though takes the subjunctive. This sounds very pretentious.
Whether it be true, we shall proceed.
They like all dogs, be they large or small, short or tall, ...


For more information
Finney C E A (1999). Examples of the subjunctive mood in
English.
Harsh W (1968). The subjunctive in English (University,
Alabama: University of Alabama Press).
Hirtle W H (1964). The English present subjunctive. CJL/RCL 9(2):
75-82.
James F (1986). Semantics of the English
subjunctive (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, ISBN
0-7748-0255-3).
Khlebnikova I B (1976). The conjunctive mood in English (The
Hague: Mouton & Company, ISBN 90-2793-404-5).
Miscellaneous. The English subjunctive: scholarly opinions.
Övergaard G (1995). The mandative subjunctive in American
and British English in the 20th century (Uppsala: University of
Uppsala, ISBN 91-554-3675-5).
Turner J F (1980). The marked subjunctive in contemporary
English. Studia Neophilologica 52: 271-277.

Examples of the subjunctive mood
in English
Common expressions

These are sometimes termed formulaic subjunctives.
•

be that as it may
blessed be !

•

far be it from me

•

if it please the court

•


•

if need be

•

truth be told

•

God bless [you | her | him | them | us every one]

•

come what may

•

[God | Heaven] forbid !

•

perish the thought

•

God save [the alpacas | the Queen | the King | our merry band]

•

suffice it to say

Specific examples in different media
These examples are in reverse chronological order. “Overheard”
denotes examples overheard in conversation (I was not
eavesdropping, I just have active ears !), and “Conversation”
denotes uses by others in conversations in which I participated (to
maintain privacy, some names have been omitted). Words in the
subjunctive are in bold; words associated with the subjunctive
are underlined. My additions or modifying comments are placed in
[square brackets].
I wish it were summer.
Subject line, email spam (2004-01-04)

It's important that our Judiciary be full.
George W. Bush, President of the U.S. (2002-05-09)
Hassan asks that a shaman abstract a talc cataplasm that can
thwart a blatant rash (raw scars that can scar a man's scalp and gall
a man's glans: scratch, scratch).
Christian Bök (2001). Eunoia, ISBN 1-55245-092-9, p. 30.
The ultimate goal of the Arabs is that the distinction be made ...
News, National Public Radio (USA) (2001-01-19)
It's not really vital he be involved in this call.
Conversation (2001-04-03)


It seemed fated that the project take its name from the Scripture
celebrating renewal.
Ed Marcum, The News-Sentinel (Knoxville, Tennessee) (2001-03-21)
If it were not for the pleadings of my granddaughter, you would be
dead already.
If you weren't a Doone, I could almost like you.
From the movie, Lorna Doone (2000) (A&E, US television) (2001-0311)
If only the weather were this reliable.
Walgreens advertisement (US television) (2001-02-17)
Harris was determined that the film be authentic.
CBS Sunday Morning (US television) (2001-02-11)
After vehemently defending the procedures outlined in the many
articles, KB's, and publications from MS regarding the best practices
of EFS use, I have come across some new information (to me,
anyway) which mandatesthat I consume a morsel of crow.
“Attonbitus Deus”, BugTraq (2001-01-30)
Growing up, my mother was so concerned that we not be brought
up as “cheap” Irish. It was so important to my mother that

we be thought of as classic, “lace-curtain” Irish.
Conan O'Brien, Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2001-01-23)
I did not dictate to the President how he go about ...
Robert Ray, on This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie
Roberts (US television) (2001-01-21)
Lord help us.
Sign in the inaugural procession for George Walker Bush (2001-0120)
– Dr. Clive, this is hardly helpful.
– Helpful be damned !
From the miniseries Horatio Hornblower, episode “Mutiny” or
“Retribution” (US television) (2001)
– I wish it were enough.
– If it were, then you wouldn't be the man I feel in love with.


From the series “Andromeda”, episode #108 “The Banks of the
Lethe” (US television) (2000-11-20)
This would be wise advice, if only the situation were like that
– if the job were done and it were time to relax. If
only that were true! But challenges abound, and this is no time to
take the future for granted.
——
If “the job” really were done, if there were nothing at stake except
credit, perhaps it would be wiser to let the matter drop. But we are
not in that position.
Richard Stallman, “By any other
name...”, commentary on AnchorDesk (2000-10-13)
The Gore campaign is eager that their candidate step out of the
shadows.
Anthony Brooks (correspondent), All Things Considered, National

Public Radio (USA) (2000-08-15)
[“Their”, “its”, same difference ...]
If that had failed, he would have urged that the matter be resolved
in a family court. [approximate quotation]
Anthony Brooks (correspondent), All Things Considered, National
Public Radio (USA) (2000-04-25)
It is imperative that everyone play pianissimo during the spoken
monologue.
From the series “Frasier” (US television) (2000-04-13)
We are adamant that that not happen.
Conversation (2000-04-04)
Last year, North Carolina became the first to mandate its
police collect such data, and after being threatened with federal
investigations, New Jersey and Maryland reached agreements with
the federal government ensuring that state troopers would no longer
pull over cars based on the driver's skin color.
Cheryl Corley (correspondent), All Things Considered, National Public
Radio (USA) (2000-03-30)
It is in the interest of the United States that Russia be a
democracy. That is [essentially] a good thing.


Strobe Talbot, US Deputy Secretary of State, interviewed on Morning
Edition, National Public Radio (USA) (2000-03-29)
They recommend he remain in jail for another six months until
the next review.
Barbara Bradley (correspondent), All Things Considered, National
Public Radio (USA) (2000-03-27)
And that should put you to rest on any terrain, be it off road or on.
Jeep advertisement (US television) (2000-03-27)

He wishes he were us now.
Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2000-02-15)
Apartment Sen. William Lambeth II presented a bill that the
SGA request the university add the official abbreviation of campus
buildings – what students see in the timetable - to each building
sign.
“Useless bills”, lead editorial in The Daily Beacon (University of
Tennessee, Knoxville) (2000-01-27)
[Note that “request the university add” also is an instance of the
mandative subjunctive.]
Mendoza called the junta's action an effort to “prevent a
bloodbath” amid the Indians' revolt and asked that the military
officers who backed the uprising not be punished.
“Vice president takes over power in Ecuador”, article on cnn.com
(2000-01-22)
It is extremely urgent that we talk with you right now, sir.
From the series “The X-Files” (US television) (2000-01-16)
The court blocked an Immigration and Naturalization
Service order that the boy be returned to his father in Cuba.
News reader, All Things Considered, National Public Radio (USA)
(2000-01-10)
But if you were a scientist, I think you should ask yourself the
same question.
Marilyn vos Savant, “Ask Marilyn” (weekly column), Parade
Magazine (2000-01-09)
[Emphasis on “were” added by vos Savant.]


It's essential that my kids pitch in.
Marie Osmond, quoted in “Life is a matter of choices”, Parade

Magazine (2000-01-09)
According to a separate lawsuit, another Nichiei
employee demanded a debtor sell his daughter into prostitution.
——
Twenty-eight of Warsaw(Poland)'s 42 prime-location restrooms were
leased in early 1999 to private companies on the condition that
they renovate and maintain the toilets.
——
A group of Albanians demanded that the U.N. Mission in
Kosovo put its mascot stray dog, Unmik, to sleep because he is
“Serbian”.
Chuck Shepherd, “News of the weird” (weekly syndicated
column), Metro Pulse (Knoxville, Tennessee), p. 35 (2000-01-06)
Installing the server requires that an intruder first compromise a
machine by different means.
CERT Advisory CA-99-17 Denial-of-Service Tools (1999-1228) < />YTcracker, a 17-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colo., said he
routinely sends messages to government Web site
administrators insisting that they address vulnerabilities
and adopt Unix or other more secure systems, but the messages
largely go ignored.
“Feds leave doors open for hackers”, article on cnn.com (1999-1222)
The deal requires that teachers join the union.
Claudio Sanchez (correspondent), All Things Considered, National
Public Radio (USA) (1999-12-20)
My holiday wish is that nobody go to Lou's Burritos.
Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1999-12)
It is very important that the charge nurse and the attending
physician work together throughout the shift.

Unknown (interview), “On the Inside”, on The Discovery Channel (US
television) (1999-12-01)
I was going to request that they [television sets] be turned down.
Conversation with Allison Miller (1999-12-01)
I requested that I stay near Knoxville.
Conversation with Allison Miller (1999-12-01)
At that time, he also set these parameters: that the obverse
design be of one or more women, that it not depict a living person,
and that the design maintain a dignity befitting the nation's
coinage.
The Golden Dollar Coin: Frequently Asked Questions, on-line
document from the U.S. Mint (www.usmint.gov) (1999-11-24)
I would respectfully suggest that you keep to your cabin.
From the miniseries Horatio Hornblower, episode “The Duchess and
the Devil” (US television) (1999)
She said company lawyers also have demanded the Web
site be transferred to their authority.
Associated Press, printed in The News-Sentinel (Knoxville,
Tennessee), p. D4 (1999-11-21)
I took all of the necessary information, but because of her attitude
I did not insist that we call for a police officer.
Letter to the syndicated column Smart Money, printed in The NewsSentinel (Knoxville, Tennessee), p. D2 (1999-11-21)
The car is programmed to respond sluggishly, the way it
might if the driver were indeed intoxicated.
Newscaster, WBIR-TV (Knoxville, Tennessee) (1999-11-20)
Albright was an attorney, but more importantly, he was a
conservationist, and a man who advocated that national
parks be spread all across the county to preserve and interpret
natural and cultural features and serve people.
Coggins A (1999). Place Names of the Smokies, ISBN 0-93720723-3, p. 23.

To deal with these problems of redundant and dual place names,
the National Park Service and the U.S. Board of Geographic
Names requested that a nomenclature committee be established in
each state.
Coggins A (1999). Place Names of the Smokies, ISBN 0-93720723-3, p. 13.
But if it weren't so big, it wouldn't be nearly so fun.
Commentator, ESPN (US television) (1999-11-20)
I was going to recommend that you buy a second-hand pickup
truck, a beater.
Click (or Clack), Car Talk, National Public Radio (USA) (1999-11-20)
However, for your safety, we do require that you keep your seat
belt fastened at all times while seated.
Flight attendant, Delta Airlines (1999-11-19)
I think it is very critical that Bill Bradley address those issues
which politicians have avoided.
Unknown (interview), Morning Edition, National Public Radio (USA)
(1999-11-15)
But Parks, upset over the group's “vulgarity and profanity,” is
suing for $25,000 and has asked that her name beremoved from all
OutKast products.
“Rosa Parks sues OutKast”, article on cnn.com (1999-11-05)
Husbands, especially if there were a lot of property involved,
needed to know that their heirs were legitimate.
Unknown (interview), “The History of Sex”, on The History Channel
(US television) (1999-11-03)
Hadrian decreed that a new temple be built in the honor of Jupiter.
Unknown (interview), “The Great Empire: Rome”, on The History
Channel (US television) (1999-11-03)

The FAA has since mandated that [this early-warning radar
system] never be disabled. [approximate quotation]
Correspondent, All Things Considered, National Public Radio (USA)
(1999-11-02)


However this plays in Knoxville, it seems calculated to play well in
Nashville where additional state funding is essential lest the name of
the game at UT become Stop the Music.
Joe Sullivan, Metro Pulse (Knoxville, Tennessee), p. 4 (1999-10-28).
Well, she has said that the top priority of the tribunal is that
Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic and that the Bosnian Serb leaders
[names unspellable] be arrested and brought to the Hague.
Sylvia Poggioli, Morning Edition, National Public Radio (USA) (199910-27)
I just wish it were easier to use !
Clorox advertisement (US television) (1999-10-26)
[Why cannot Toyota and Kodak follow Clorox's example ? See below.]
I am rather anxious that she discuss this with me soon.
Conversation (1999-10-25)
That would have been a huge win, if they were able to pull it off.
Commentator, ESPN (US television) (1999-10-23)
[Compare the common usage, “if they had been able”.]
It is important that he tell the truth now, lest he be doubted later.
Conversation (1999-10-19)
It is imperative that we eat soon.
Conversation with Allison Miller (1999-10-16)
The ability to find loopholes in a system, be they mathematical,
systematical, or procedural, is vital to a cryptographer.
Bruce Schneier, “CRYPTO-GRAM” (monthly email newsletter) (199910-15)
We would prefer, I'm sure, some form of representative

government be installed in the next couple of days.
Howard Schaffer of Georgetown University, All Things Considered,
National Public Radio (USA) (1999-10-13)
Political correctness is a threat to free speech because special
interest groups are not content just to put forth their views,
but demand that the opposing view be silenced.


John Sopinka, Canadian Supreme Court Justice, cited on WWW
(1999-10-13)
If modern business people weren't able to hold a drink, grab a
bite, shake hands and extract a business card all at the same time,
the commercial world would grind to a halt.
Judith Martin, Miss Manners column (1999-10-10)
A sniper would be almost immediately killed if he were captured.
Unknown (interview), “Suicide Missions: Sniper”, on The History
Channel (US television) (1999-10-05)
Any transform, be it monotonic or nonmonotonic, of a Fouriertransform surrogate should be [temporally] reversible.
Conversation (1999-10-05)
I was suggesting that we sit down for a while and discuss this.
Conversation (1999-10-05)
My concern is that we make sure we're consistent, so that we can
use each other's libraries.
Conversation (1999-10-05)
Arafat asked that Palestinian police chief Ghazi Jabali be allowed
to travel from Gaza to the West Bank town of Ramallah to attend his
father's funeral.
Linda Gradstein, Morning Edition, National Public Radio (USA) (199910-04)
It was very critical that everything be done on time.
Tour guide, Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina

(1999-09-30)
Custom dictates that the prize date be announced just days in
advance.
“Early Nobel announcement prompts speculation”, article on
cnn.com (1999-09-29)
For our sorority fundraiser, I proposed that we run a series of
sports betting pools.
Conversation (1999-09-29)


The group with the most votes, whether it be the university
community or health care professionals, will win.
“Right to vote”, lead editorial in The Daily Beacon (University of
Tennessee, Knoxville) (1999-09-29)
[Next lesson: hyphenation of compound modifiers (health-care
professionals)]
Giuliani demanded the Brooklyn Museum cancel the exhibition;
the museum refused.
Brooke Gladstone, Morning Edition, National Public Radio (USA)
(1999-09-29)
It is imperative that we keep this confidential.
From the movie, Highway 9
But director John Tiernan insisted that she lose her pleasing
personality and get more in touch with her sensuality.
People, p. 105. (1999-09-13)
... he also suggested to the board that a business
manager be hired to help things run more smoothly.
Metro Pulse (Knoxville, Tennessee), p. 7 (1999-09-02).
It turns out that thermoneutral ... is 84 degrees [Fahrenheit], but
that's if you're naked. So if we lived in a society where everyone

was naked, or everyone were naked, perhaps I should say, then 84
degrees would be our chosen temperature for at least sitting around
inside an office.
Joe Palca, Morning Edition, National Public Radio (USA) (1999-07-07)
[He falsely corrected himself, thinking of the subjunctive
hypothetical phrase earlier in the sentence. Radio talk often
precludes real-time correction. “If we lived (but we don't)” is in the
subjunctive; he probably was thinking “If everyone were naked (but
they're not)”.]
It is very crucial that we make it successful.
Co-owner and Tea Taster, Charleston Tea Plantation, CNN Headline
News (1999-04-24)
Were I he, ...
Overheard (1999-01-28)
[Bless you, sir ! This is much better than, “If I was him, ...”]


God help our country's future if we decide otherwise.
Manager Rogan in the trial of President William Jefferson Clinton
(1999-01-08?)
God save freshmeat and Linus.
Comment on freshmeat.net (1999-01-02)
It was at about this time that there came the first indication that it
might be better if Doctor Minor now be allowed to return to the
United States, to spend his declining years - as he did seem to be in
decline - close to his family.
Winchester S (1998). The Professor and the Madman, ISBN 0-06017596-6, p. 185.
He wants, but knows that he can never demand, that
praise be showered on him.
Winchester S (1998). The Professor and the Madman, ISBN 0-06017596-6, p. 156.

There was a man in there who knew exactly what he wanted, and I
found myself wishing I were as lucky as he.
From the movie, You've Got Mail (1998)
It is critical that I see them.
From the movie, Sphere (1998)
Both bones were porous, as if the virus or causative
organism were consuming them.
From the movie, X-Files (1998)
I'm going to ask you a question, and it is
absolutely imperative that you tell the truth.
From the movie, Enemy of the State (1998)
I demand you release him now.
If he didn't buy a bushel of vegetables each week, I'd spit on him.
I insist you return my things to me at once.
Then I suggest that you run.
The King demanded that you arrive in style.
All I ask Your Majesties is that you show her the same courtesies as
she has bestowed on me.
From the movie, Ever After (1998)


It is also necessary that a test statistic not be invariant with
respect to a given hypotheses [sic].
Small M, Judd K (1998). “Detecting nonlinearity in experimental
data”, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos 8, p. 1234.
When we get back to London, you'll be paid in
full, provided we have favorable opinion.
Inspector, if it weren't absolutely genuine, then why would they
steal it ?
From the movie, Incognito (1997)

If I were a fascist, then I would have sent you to one of those
Southern military academies a long time ago.
From the movie, Ice Storm (1997)
That's why it is important that this be done today.
From the movie, The Eighteenth Angel (1997)
I would recommend that you release him immediately.
From the movie, Twist of Fate (1997)
In fact, it is essential that you experience pleasure.
From the movie, Wildly Available (1996)
Junior's inheritance is based on the provision that he divorce that
[censored] Irene.
From the movie, The Naked Detective (1996)
I simply requested, politely, that she refrain from spying on my
family.
From the movie, Last of the High Kings (1996)
In order to control intersymbol interference, it is desirable that 1's
not be too close together, or equivalently that runs of 0's not be too
short.
Marcus B (1995). “Symbolic dynamics and coding applications”,
Plenary Lecture at the 1995 IEEE International Symposium on
Information Theory.
God rot all royals - give us the wisdom of America.
From the movie, The Madness of King George (1994)


I wish this [censored] night were over.
From the movie, Schindler's List (1993)
An important requirement for equilibrium is that the
temperature be uniform throughout the system or each part of the
system in contact. If this condition were not met, spontaneous heat

transfer from one location to another could occur while the system is
isolated.
Moran MJ, Shapiro HN (1992). Fundamentals of Engineering
Thermodynamics (2nd edition), ISBN 0-471-57117-2, p. 656.
If the heat release were spatially and temporally distributed, not
much return would be expected to the acoustic field.
Yu KH, Trouvé A, Daily JW (1991). “Low-frequency pressure
oscillations in a model ramjet combustor”, Journal of Fluid
Mechanics 232, p. 49.
Tell me, Stuart, lest your children be born slugs of cold flesh.
From the movie, Warlock (1989)
[One of my favorite quotations!]
If he knew the mountains, he would go alone. He doesn't, so he
needs a guide.
From the movie, Shoot to Kill (1988)
I suggest we open out orders, Captain.
I must emphasize the extreme sensitivity of this information and
that it not leave this room.
Prudence demands that we deploy our ships to watch yours.
Negative. Fuel status says we turn around now.
From the movie, The Hunt for Red October (1987)
God guide your decision.
From the movie, The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
What if I granted you a kingdom?
From the movie, Flash Gordon (1980)
If there were any other purpose to what we were doing, only the
orca knew it.
From the movie, Orca (1977)

A sufficient condition, familiar from the calculus, is that
L be concave in theta.
Bickel PJ, Doksum KA (1977). Mathematical Statistics, ISBN 0-13564147-0, p. 102.
If that were for real, how big would that measure ?
From the movie, King Kong (1975)
If possible, I'd prefer the Gestapo be kept out of these matters.
From the movie, Where Eagles Dare (1969)
You went so far as to argue that the colony be abolished.
I respectfully submit that you order that man to step aside.
I wish I were back in England.
From the series (US television) “Wild, Wild West” (1965-1969)
I will be under oath, and I might have to tell them that it was I who
found LeBeau and it was I who told you how to smoke him out,
unless, unless LeBeau were released from the cooler.
From the series (US television) “Hogan's Heroes” (1965-1971)
What would happen if somebody were to blow up that bridge?
From the movie, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
Didn't you see the directive that all personnel be clean-shaven,
Commander Eddington ?
From the movie, In Harm's Way (1965)
Mister Preseident, under Condition Red, it is
standard procedure that the base be sealed off from outside
contact.
From the movie, Dr. Strangelove (1964)
It is as though you had become Messala.
If you were not a bride, I would kiss you goodbye. If I were not a
bride, there would be no goodbyes to be said.
From the movie, Ben-Hur (1959)
Don't look at me as if I were crazy!
From the movie, The Caine Mutiny (1954)

If only I were a man for one short hour.
I would she were.
From the movie, Ivanhoe (1952)
Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, though your
dreams be tossed and blown.
From the song, “You'll Never Walk Alone”, sung by Mario Lanza, BMG
Classics 60720-2-RG (RCA Victor) (album released 1991; recorded
1950s).
If this be madness, then call it madness ...
From the song, “Beloved”, sung by Mario Lanza, RCA Camden
Classics CAD1-450 (album released 1987; recorded 1950s).
–How about a bazooka ?
–If we had one.
From the movie, Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
[This is a classic example: If we had a bazooka (but I don't think we
do), then we would use it. If we have a bazooka (conditional
statement), then we will use it.]
... in general, this has a negligible effect on the correlogram,
but if the grouping be very drastic, it is possible to introduce
corrections analogous to Sheppard's corrections ...
Cunningham LBC, Hynd WRB (1946). Discussion to “Symposium on
autocorrelation in time series”, Supplement to the Journal of the
Royal Statistical Society 8, p. 97.
I wish I didn't love you so much.
From the movie, Casablanca (1942)
I feel about Wilmer here as if he were my own son.
From the movie, The Maltese Falcon (1941)
If you were really great and powerful, you'd keep your promises.

From the movie, The Wizard of Oz (1939)
I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener.
That is what I'd really like to be.
'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener,
everyone would be in love with me.
Advertisement (1930s)


The sentence of the court is that you be imprisoned and kept to
hard labor for two years.
Mr. Justice Wills, pronouncing sentence on Oscar Wilde (1895-05-25)
If it be, why seems it so particular with thee? (I:2)
Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd, Bring with thee airs
from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable,
Thou comest us such a questionable shape that I will speak to
thee ... (I:4)
... now or whensoever, provided I be so able as now. (V:2)
William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of
Denmark (xxxx)

Where is the subjunctive ?
Yeah, but they wouldn't find the body if there was nothing left to
find.
From the movie, Stranger Than Fiction (1999)
If only everything was as dependable as a Chevy.
Chevrolet advertisement (US television) (2000-05-29)
[Note the shameless takeoff of the Toyota tagline (below).]
It would be ironic if this was the team [to get that done].
Commentator, ESPN (US television) (1999-11-20)
Such information could be vital if an asteroid was on a collision

course with earth, although the main purpose of the exercise is to
help solve the age-old puzzle of how planets are formed.
“Theory: Some asteroids may be like celestial sponges”, article by
Reuters on cnn.com (1999-11-11)
Imagine the heads the student body would turn if the
SGA was able to turn in 15,000 applications for voter registration.
“Right to vote”, lead editorial in The Daily Beacon (University of
Tennessee, Knoxville) (1999-09-29)
Wish food was here.
Kodak advertisement (US television) (1999-09-09)


If it was me, ...
Overheard (1999-09-08)
If only everything was as reliable as a Corolla.
Toyota advertisement (US television) (1999-09-07)
If he was a rabbit, what would you do ?
From the cartoon, Bugs Bunny, episode “Rabbit Seasoning” (1940s
or 1950s)
[How will our children learn if their cartoons confuse them ? We need
a School House Rock on the subjunctive !]

The English subjunctive: scholarly
opinions
N.B. This page contains brief excerpts from different scholarly
works, some of which may be copyrighted. Inclusion on this page is
intended to comply with provisions of “fair use” regarding
scholarship and education, according to my understanding of
relevant laws and conventions. If you believe me in error,
please email me. Any of the entries on this page may at any time

be removed.

Directory
•

Baugh AC (1935). A history of the English language
Berk LM (1999). English syntax: from word to discourse

•

Fowler HW (1926). A dictionary of modern English usage

•

Jespersen O (1905). Growth and structure of the English
language

•

Vallins GH (1956). The pattern of English

•

Baugh (1935)
Baugh AC (1935). A history of the English language (New York:
D. Appleton-Century Company).
Section 235, page 409:


There has been some schoolmastering of the language. The

substitution of you were for you was in the singular occurs about
1820, and it is I is now often considered a social test where propriety
is expected. What was left of the subjunctive mood in occasional use
has disappeared except in conditions contrary to fact (if I were you).

Berk (1999)
Berk LM (1999). English syntax: from word to discourse (New
York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-512353-0).
Pages 149-150:
Subjunctive Mood
Like the term imperative, the term subjunctive refers to a
particular verb form. In Old English, special verb forms existed to
communicate non-facts, e.g., wants, hopes, and hypothetical
situations. The subjunctive is somewhat weak in Modern English, but
there are speakers who use it routinely. In many cases, the
subjunctive is a form learned in school or through reading, so it is
educated speakers who use it most. The modern subjunctive
expresses a variety of deontic meanings. [N.B. deontic refers to a
sense of duty or obligation, of something which is required or
desired.]
Mandative subjunctive
So far we have examined three different ways of issuing
directives – modals, semi-auxiliaries, and the imperative.The
subjunctive can also be used as a directive. The term
mandative derives from the Latin root for mandate, “a command or
order”. The mandative subjunctive is a very distinct kind of directive
and it always takes the same form.
I suggest [that he leave].
I beg [that he return the money].
I demanded [that she give me her files].

We asked [that Marsha tell the truth].


Beth moved [that the meeting be adjourned].
I insist [that you be quiet].
I require [that term papers be turned in on time].
In each of these sentences, the main verb makes some sort of
demand, from very mild (ask/suggest) to very strong
(demand/insist). In each case, the direct object of the main verb is a
clause (the structure in brackets). Note that when the subject of the
clause is third person, its verb does not take third person {-s}
and be is in its infinitive form. These atypical verb forms are the
vestiges of the Old English subjunctive system. The same meaning
can be communicated by a verb in present tense – We insist that
Marsha tells the truth or by a modal auxiliary – We insist that
Marsha must tell the truth. Technically, however, these are not
subjunctive utterances because they lack subjunctive verb forms. All
of these sentences are directives, however.[*]
[*] This statement bears clarification, as what Berk says is not
wholly correct. Compare two sentences (alternate meanings are in
parentheses):
• We insist that Marsha tells the truth. (We aver or claim
emphatically that Marsha tells or does tell the truth.)
[indicative mood]
• We insist that Marsha tell the truth. (We demand or require
that Marsha must or should tell the truth.) [subjunctive mood]
In this example, there is a very big difference
between tell and tells, partly because insist has two different
meanings. Berk errs when she says that the first example (insist
that Marsha tells) is a directive – if meant as an indicative

statement, then tells is correct; if meant as a directive, then tell is
correct, and Berk advocates using a poorly formed sentence. The
strict mandative subjunctive (insist that Marsha tell) or the modal
auxiliary (insist that Marsha must tell) form should be used (also
note that with the verb insist, a gerundial form may be
employed: We insist on Marsha telling the truth.).
Volitional subjunctive


Just as there are volitional modals, there are volitional subjunctive
constructions. These, too, exploit unusual verb forms – I wish
I were a bird; Joseph wishes he were a cowboy. The use
of were with first and third singular subjects is also a remnant of the
old subjunctive system. I wish I was a bird expresses exactly the
same meaning, but technically was is not a subjunctive form. The
subjunctive is gradually disappearing in English and even highly
educated speakers sometimes use non-subjunctive forms in such
utterances.
Formulaic subjunctive
English has a small set of phrases and sayings that are so old that
they still contain uniquely marked subjunctive verbs. These
utterances are learned as whole pieces, often as part of religious
liturgy. The expression God bless you contains a third person subject
and an uninflected verb. This sentence is communicating, not a
statement of fact, i.e., God blesses you, but rather a wish on the
part of the speaker, i.e., I hope that God blesses you. Some
remnants of the formulaic subjunctive in Judeo-Christian liturgy are:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee ...
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done ...
There are formulaic subjunctives that are less tied to liturgy, but

most still have a religious cast.
God save the Queen.
Heaven forbid.
God be with you.
God help him.
Be that as it may.
Long live the King.


Fowler (1926)
Fowler HW (1926). A dictionary of modern English
usage (Oxford).
SUBJUNCTIVES. The word is very variously used in grammar. The
subjunctives here to be considered (1) exclude those, often so
called, in which the modal effect is given by an auxiliary such asmay
(that he may do it ; cf. that he do it) let (let it be so ; cf. be it
so) or shall (until he shall be dead ; cf.until he be dead ; & (2)
include any verb that is understood to be modally different from the
indicative but is either indistinguishable from it in form or
distinguished otherwise than by an auxiliary ; in “that he learn” it is
clear that learn is subjunctive ; in “that we learn” it is not ; in “that
we, he, may learn” there is no subjunctive that concerns us in this
article ; any verb of the kind that has now been loosely indicated is
for our present purpose a subjunctive, whether or not it is more
specifically known as imperative (sing we merrily), conditional of the
apodosis (it were more seemly) or of the protasis (if it please you),
optative (had I but the power !), indirect question (When I ask her if
she love me), indefinite future clause (till he die), or by any other
such name.
About the subjunctive, so delimited, the important general facts

are : (1) that is is moribund except in a few easily specified uses ;
(2) that, owing to the capricious influence of the much analysed
classical upon the less studied native moods, it probably never
would have been possible to draw up a satisfactory table of the
English subjunctive uses ; (3) that assuredly no-one will ever find it
possible or worth while now that the subjunctive is dying ; (4) that
subjunctives met with today, outside the few truly living uses, are
either deliberate revivals by poets for legitimate enough archaic
effect, or antiquated survivals as in pretentious journalism, infecting
their context with dullness, or new arrivals possible only in an age to
which the grammar of the subjunctive is not natural but artificial.

Jespersen (1905)


Jespersen O (1905). Growth and structure of the English
language (Leipzig: B.G. Tuebner).
Section 206, page 205:
While the number of tenses has been increased, the number of
moods has tended to diminish, the subjunctive having now very
little vital power left. Most of its forms have become
indistinguishable from those of the indicative, but the loss is not a
serious one, for the thought is just as clearly expressed in “if he
died”, where died may be either indicative or subjunctive, as in “if
he were dead”, where the verb has a distinctly subjunctive form.

Vallins (1956)
Vallins GH (1956). The pattern of English (London: Andre
Deutsch Ltd.).
Pages 29-30:

The characteristic Old English subjunctive tense endings were e (singular) and -en (plural). These, in the ordinary process of the
language, were weakened and lost. It follows, then, that the
subjunctive differs from the indicative only in those forms where the
indicative has inflection – that is, the moribund second person
singular and plural, and the third person present singular. Of these
the third person present singular is the only one that concerns us
here: the subjunctive corresponding with the indicative “he sings”,
“he walks” is “(if) he sing”, “(if) he walk”. More important, for
syntactical reasons discussed later (pp. 39-40), is the survival of
separate subjunctive forms of the verb be: be for all persons,
singular and plural, in the present tense, and were for all persons in
the past singular.
The older grammarians had strange ideas concerning the nature of
this subjunctive inflection. Ben Jonson, for example, evidently thinks
of it as a plural. Some nouns, he says, though singular, “require a
verb plurall – especially when the verbe is joyned to an adverbe, or
conjunction: It is preposterous to execute a man, before