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
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.) 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. 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. The subjunctive is not generally used after verbs such as
hope and
expect. Using 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. == Variant terminology and misconceptions ==