English subjunctive

In particular, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language narrows the definition further so that the usage of were, as in "I wish she were here", traditionally known as the "past subjunctive", is instead called irrealis. According to this narrow definition, the subjunctive is a grammatical construction recognizable by its use of the bare form of a verb in a finite clause that describes a non-actual scenario. For instance, "It's essential that he be here" uses the subjunctive mood while "It's essential that he is here" does not.

Grammatical composition

The English subjunctive is realized as a finite but tenseless clause. Subjunctive clauses use a bare or plain verb form, which lacks any inflection. For instance, a subjunctive clause would use the verb form "be" rather than "am/is/are" and "arrive" rather than "arrives", regardless of the person and number of the subject.

(1) Subjunctive clauses:

a. It's crucial that he be here by noon

b. It's vital that he arrive on time

English does not have a distinct subjunctive verb form, since the bare verb form is not exclusively subjunctive. It is also used in other constructions, such as imperatives and infinitivals.

(2) Imperative:

a. Be here by noon!

b. Arrive on time!

For almost all verbs, the bare form is syncretic with the present tense form used in all persons except the third person singular.

(3) Present indicative: I always arrive on time.

One exception to this generalization is the defective verb beware, which has no indicative form. Another is the irregular verb be, whose bare form is not syncretic with any of its indicative forms:

(4) Present indicative:

a. I am…

b. She is…

c. You/we/they are…

Finiteness

Subjunctive clauses are considered finite since they have obligatory subjects, alternate with tensed forms, and are often introduced by the complementizer that.

Triggering contexts

Subjunctive clauses most commonly appear as clausal complements of non-veridical operators. The most common use of the English subjunctive is the mandative or jussive subjunctive, which is optionally used in the clausal complements of some predicates whose meanings involve obligation.

(5) Mandative subjunctive:

a. I insist that he leave us alone. (instead of "leaves us")

b. I would rather someone else do it. ("does it")

c. We demand that it be done tomorrow. ("is done")

d. My recommendation is that they not be punished. ("are not punished"; note that the parallel word order "that they be not punished" was formerly standard but is now archaic, as in "Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done" from the King James Bible.)

The following pair illustrates the semantic contribution of the subjunctive mandative. The subjunctive example unambiguously expresses a desire for a future situation, whereas the non-subjunctive (indicative) example is potentially ambiguous, either (i) expressing a desire to change the addressee's beliefs about the current situation, or (ii) as a "covert mandative", having the same meaning as the subjunctive mandative.

(6) Subjunctive mandative compared:

a. Subjunctive mandative: I insist that Andrea be here.

b. Indicative (whether non-mandative or covert mandative): I insist that Andrea is here.

The subjunctive is thus not the only means of marking an embedded clause as mandative: examples can be ambiguous between mandative and non-mandative interpretations, and dialects vary in their use of the subjunctive. In particular, the subjunctive is more widely used in American English than in British English. (The covert mandative is very unusual in American English.)

Use of the subjunctive mandative increased during the 20th century in American, British, and Australian English.

The subjunctive is occasionally found in clauses expressing a probable condition, such as If I be found guilty… (more common is am or should be; for more information see English conditional sentences). This usage is mostly old-fashioned or formal, although it is found in some common fixed expressions such as if need be.

Somewhat more common is the use after whether in the exhaustive conditional construction: "He must be tended with the same care, whether he be friend or foe." In both of these uses, it is possible to invert subject and verb and omit the subordinator, i.e. "He must be tended with the same care, be he friend or foe." Analogous uses are occasionally found after other words, such as unless, until, whoever, wherever:

(7)

a. Your purpose, then, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the Government, unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the Constitution as you please, on all points in dispute between you and us.

b. Whoever he be, he shall not go unpunished.

In most of the above examples, a construction with should can be used as an alternative: "I insist that he should leave now" etc. This "should mandative" was the most common kind of mandative at the start of the 20th century, not only in British English but also in American English. However, in American English its use decreased rapidly in the early 20th century and it had become very unusual by the 21st; in British English its use also decreased, but later and not so drastically.

Unlike in Spanish, the subjunctive is not generally used after verbs such as hope and expect.

Using the subjunctive or should is mandatory in clauses with the conjunction lest, which generally expresses a potential adverse event:

(8)

a. I am running faster lest she catch me (i.e., "in order that she not catch me")

b. I was worried lest she catch me (i.e., "that she might catch me")

Subjunctive clauses can occasionally occur unembedded, with the force of a wish or a third person imperative (and such forms can alternatively be analyzed as imperatives). This is most common nowadays in formulaic remnants of archaic optative constructions, such as "(God) bless you", "God save the King", "heaven forbid", "peace be with you" (any of which can instead start with may: "May God bless you", etc.); "long live…"; "truth be told", "so be it", "suffice it to say", "woe betide…", and more.