English Subjunctive Mood: Usage & Examples

The Subjunctive in English is the mood of a verb that always comes in the simple/base form. The subjunctive mood of verbs comes after certain verbs that indicate one person's wants, insistence, or desire for another person to do something. These certain verbs are called subjunctive verbs. Subjunctive Verbs Advise Demand Prefer Require Ask Insist Propose Stipulate Command Urge Recommend Suggest Decree Order Request Structure of Subjunctive Mood Sub (1) + Subjunctive Verb (any tense) + that + Sub (2) + Base Form of Verb + Complement Examples: John has advised that Alex go to the movies. Robert insisted that I work on my paper. The principal demands that we study hard. He suggested that I buy this shirt. She proposed that we get married. Here, the conjunction 'that' is important with the subjunctive verbs. Without 'that', the structure changes and does NOT follow the subjunctive mood: Sub + Subjunctive Verbs (any tense) + Object + Infinitive (to + verb) + Complement Examples: We recommend you t…
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