In grammar, mood describes how verb forms help show what a speaker is doing. A verb form can signal that the speaker is making a statement, giving a command, or expressing a wish. The subjunctive is a mood English uses in certain patterns to express requests, recommendations, wishes, and imagined situations.
In We recommend that Maya take the early train, take is the base form, the form you look up in a dictionary. It names the action being recommended. In If Maya were here, she could help us, were helps show that the speaker is imagining Maya being there.
Use the base form in demands and recommendations
After verbs such as ask, demand, recommend, and require, the clause beginning with that can use the base form of the verb. The same pattern works after phrases such as it’s essential that and it’s important that. This is called the mandative subjunctive. Language Portal of Canada’s subjunctive guide
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Base verb | The editor asked that Nina send a shorter draft. |
| Base form of be | It’s essential that the hall be ready by noon. |
| Not + base verb | We request that each guest not bring food into the gallery. |
The base form stays the same with every subject and after a past-tense verb like asked. Write that Nina send or that they send. The verb be works the same way in that she be ready and that we be ready.
Some verbs have more than one meaning. Marin insisted that the office stay open until six expresses a demand. Marin insisted that the office stayed open until six reports what Marin claimed happened.
The base-form subjunctive is common in American English. British English also uses it, and should plus the base verb is another familiar option, as in It’s essential that the hall should be ready by noon. Deshors and Gries on the subjunctive and should
Choose were or was by meaning
In formal writing, use were with I, he, she, or it to imagine a situation that differs from reality. Use the ordinary past form was with those subjects when you’re talking about what happened or what may actually have happened.
- If the gate were wider, we could wheel the piano through it. Imagine a wider gate.
- If the gate was open at six, the camera footage will show it. The gate may have been open.
In speech and informal writing, you may hear or see was for an imagined situation too. In edited prose, were makes the hypothetical meaning clear. MLA Style Center on was and were
Use were in wishes about the present
I wish the station were closer imagines a different situation now. Other verbs take an ordinary past form in the same pattern, as in I wish we lived closer to the station. For a regret about the past, use the past perfect, as in I wish we had caught the earlier train. Cambridge Dictionary on wishes and regrets
Recognize the subjunctive in fixed expressions
You’ll also see the subjunctive in expressions such as so be it to accept an outcome and come what may to mean “whatever happens.” Cambridge on fixed subjunctive phrases
Practice using the subjunctive
Choose the form that fits each meaning in formal written English. Use the base-form subjunctive for requests and requirements.
- The librarian recommends that Sam ___ the atlas at the reference desk. (use / uses)
- It’s essential that the captions ___ readable on a phone. (be / are)
- The stage manager asked that the audience ___ during the rehearsal. (not applaud / doesn’t applaud)
- If the shelf ___ lower, I could reach the top row. (was / were)
- If the museum ___ open yesterday, the ticket system should show some sales. (was / were)
- I wish the bus stop ___ closer to my apartment. (is / were)
Show answers and explanations
- Use. The recommendation takes the base form.
- Be. The requirement takes the base form, even with the plural subject captions.
- Not applaud. To make the base-form subjunctive negative, put not before the verb.
- Were. The speaker imagines the shelf at a different height.
- Was. The speaker is checking a real possibility about yesterday.
- Were. The wish describes a different location for the bus stop now.
