Subjunctive verbs express wishes, suggestions, demands, or hypothetical situations, using the base form of the verb (e.g., be, go, have) regardless of the subject, making sentences formal, as in "I insist that he be on time" or "If I were you". Key uses include after verbs like suggest, demand, request (e.g., "they asked that she come") and with imaginary/unreal conditions, often using "were" (e.g., "I wish I were there").

Present Subjunctive

Uses the base form of the verb (no 's' or 'ing').

• Example: "It's important that she be present." (Instead of "is")
• Example: "I suggest he take the job." (Instead of "takes")

Past Subjunctive

Often uses "were" for all subjects in conditional/hypothetical clauses.

• Example: "If I were rich, I'd travel." (Instead of "was")
• Example: "I wish I were taller."

Verbs of Demand/Suggestion

ask, demand, insist, recommend, request, propose

• "They requested that he leave."

Impersonal Expressions

it is important that, it is essential that, it is vital that

• "It is vital that we understand."

Phrases for Wishes/Hypotheticals

if only, I wish, as if, as though

• "She acts as if she were the boss."

Mandative vs. Formulaic Subjunctive

The mandative subjunctive (present subjunctive) is more common in American English than British English, where alternatives like "should" are often preferred.

• US: "I insist that he be present."
• UK: "I insist that he should be present." (more common)

Negative Forms

The subjunctive negative uses "not" without auxiliary verbs:

• "I suggest that he not go." (not "doesn't go" or "does not go")
• "It's important that she not be late."

Fixed Expressions

Some traditional phrases always use the subjunctive:

• "God save the Queen"
• "Long live the king"
• "Be that as it may"
• "Come what may"
• "Heaven forbid"

Third-Person Singular Clarity

The subjunctive is most noticeable with third-person singular subjects, where the base form differs from the indicative:

• Indicative: "He goes every day."
• Subjunctive: "I insist he go today."

Fading Usage

In casual modern English, especially British English, the subjunctive is increasingly replaced by indicative mood or modal verbs, though it remains standard in formal writing and certain fixed contexts.

The subjunctive mood signals that something is a wish, possibility, or demand, not a definite fact, and relies on the simple, uninflected base form of the verb, adding formality to speech or writing.

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Causative Verbs

Causative verbs indicate that someone causes another person to do something or causes something to happen. These verbs make the following clause tenseless, using the base form (infinitive without "to") or a past participle depending on the structure.

Make (force/compel)

Uses base form (bare infinitive) in active constructions.

• "She made him clean his room." (He was forced to clean)
• "The teacher made the students rewrite their essays."

Have (arrange for someone to do something)

Uses base form for active meaning; uses past participle for passive meaning.

• Active: "I'll have my assistant call you." (My assistant will call)
• Passive: "I had my car repaired." (Someone repaired my car)

Let (allow/permit)

Uses base form (bare infinitive).

• "Please let me explain."
• "They let the children stay up late."

Get (persuade/arrange)

Uses "to" + infinitive for active; uses past participle for passive.

• Active: "I got him to help me." (I persuaded him)
• Passive: "She got her phone fixed." (Someone fixed it)

Help

Can use either base form or "to" + infinitive.

• "Can you help me (to) carry these boxes?"

Active Causative (someone does the action)

Subject + causative verb + person + base form/to-infinitive

• "I made him apologize."
• "I got him to apologize."

Passive Causative (action is done to something)

Subject + have/get + object + past participle

• "I had my hair cut."
• "I got my computer repaired."

The key difference is that causative verbs create a tenseless clause:

• Regular: "He wants that she goes." (grammatically awkward)
• Causative: "He made her go." (base form, no tense marking)

Make

• "The movie made me cry."
• "Don't make me laugh."

Have

• "I'll have someone look into it." (active)
• "We need to have the documents signed." (passive)

Let

• "Let it be."
• "Don't let them see you cry."

Get

• "I finally got her to agree." (active)
• "You should get your eyes tested." (passive)

• Make = force (strongest compulsion)
• Have = arrange/cause (neutral, often for services)
• Let = allow/permit (giving permission)
• Get = persuade/manage (implies effort or accomplishment)

Causative verbs create structures where the verb in the following clause appears in its base form (or as a past participle in passive constructions), making these clauses tenseless. This is similar to the subjunctive in that the verb form doesn't change based on the subject or tense.