The Subjunctive The subjunctive is a special kind of present tense, using an infinitive that has no –s in the third person singular It is often used when talking about something that somebody must It is a formal construction It is more commonly used in American English than in British English, and more often in the written form than in the spoken form Verbs that are commonly used with the subjunctive are: advise, ask, beg, decide, decree, desire, dictate, insist, intend, move, order, petition, propose, recommend, request, require, resolve, suggest, urge, and vote Fixed Expressions using the Subjunctive …, as it were Be that is it may Come what may… Far be it from me to disagree/criticise God bless you God save the Queen! Heaven help us! Heaven forbid! If need be Long live the bride and groom! …, so be it Perish the thought! Suffice it to say… (in a way, so to speak) (Whether that is true or not…) (Whatever happens…) (To appear less hostile when disagreeing) (An exclamation of despair) (An exclamation that you hope something won’t happen) (If it is necessary) (We can’t anything to change it) (A suggestion or possibility is unpleasant or ridiculous) (It is obvious/I will give a short explanation) ‘Be’ has special subjunctive forms: It is vital that you be truthful about what happened He suggested that she be more vocal in the next meeting It's important that she (remember) I suggest that Frank (read) to take her medicine twice a day the directions carefully before assembling the bicycle He doesn't want the wheels to fall off while he is riding down a hill Mrs Finkelstein demanded that the heater (repair) immediately Her apartment was freezing It's vital that the United States (focus) on improving its public education system What we now will affect our country for generations to come The monk insisted that the tourists (enter) the temple until they had removed their shoes I am not going to sit here and let her insult me I demand that she immediately (apologize) Judy asked that we (attend) for what she just said her graduation ceremony next week 8 Was it really necessary that (sit) I there watching you the entire time you were rehearsing for the play? It was really boring watching you repeat the scenes over and over again It is important to remember that Janine (think) very differently from you She may not agree to the changes you have made in the organization of the company Mixed Conditionals i) Third Second Mixed Conditionals (Past Condition / Present Result) If + Past Perfect, + Would + Base Form For imaginary present actions or situations that are not possible because the necessary conditions were not met in the past eg: If you had taken the course, you would know about it (The conditions were not met because the person did not the course and as a result does not know about it now.) ii) Second Third Mixed Conditionals (Present Condition / Past Result) If + Past Simple, + Would have + Past Participle 1/ To avoid the illogicality of saying 'If I had been you', which means that I was not you on that occasion, but could be in the future, which is, of course, impossible eg:If I were you, I wouldn't have done that 2/ Where the first part is still true: eg:If I could speak Spanish, I wouldn't have needed to get the letter translated This means that I couldn't speak Spanish then when I needed the translator and still can't