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We Suggest That You Learn the
Subjunctive |
For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
Today, we're going to talk about using the subjunctive.
English speakers use the subjunctive to express a wide
variety of unreal or possible situations. Today, we will
only focus on how to use the subjunctive with a noun
clause to express urgency or importance. For example, "I
suggest that you arrive early."
Polite, yet urgent
The subjunctive offers speakers a polite and diplomatic
way to tell someone to do something, or stress that
something is very important. It is a useful alternative
to a direct command. A mother might tell a child, "Stop
eating with your hands." How can we be polite and stress
urgency at the same time? We suggest that you use the
subjunctive. Instead of the direct command, "Stop eating
with your hands," you could say, "It is important that
you eat with a fork."
Imagine you are a supervisor. You want your employee to
stop being late for work. You could say, "Come to work
on time." But a more polite way would be to use the
subjunctive: "It is very important that you come to work
on time" or "It is essential that you manage your time
more efficiently." In most situations, the speaker using
the subjunctive has power over the listener. In our
examples, the mother has power over the child, the boss
has power over the employee.
Verb + that + object + simple
verb
There are two common structures for the subjunctive. The
first one uses a verb followed by that, followed by the
object, followed by the simple form of the verb. For
example, "His father demanded that he join the army." In
this example, demanded is the verb, that marks the
beginning of the noun clause, he is the object, and join
is the subjunctive verb. That is optional. You could
also say, "His father demanded he join the army." The
most common verbs that are followed by the subjunctive
are advise, ask, propose, suggest, request, and insist.
Listen for the subjunctive in this conversation between
cartoon characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. In this
scene, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck come across Elmer Fudd,
a hunter who is looking for rabbits.
Bugs Bunny: Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you
get home?
Daffy Duck: Shoot him now! Shoot him now!
Bugs Bunny: You keep out of this. He doesn't have to shoot
you now.
Daffy Duck: He does so have to shoot me now. I demand that
you shoot me now.
[gunshot]
The subjunctive sentence in the dialog is, "I demand
that you shoot me now." Daffy Duck meant to say, "I
demand that you shoot him now" – him referring to Bugs
Bunny. Listen again.
Bugs Bunny: Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you
get home?
Daffy Duck: Shoot him now! Shoot him now!
Bugs Bunny: You keep out of this. He doesn't have to shoot
you now.
Daffy Duck: He does so have to shoot me now. I demand that
you shoot me now.
[gunshot]
It is + adjective + that + object
+ simple verb
The second form of the subjunctive uses it is followed
by an adjective, followed by that, followed by the
simple form of the verb. For example, "It is vital that
he take his medicine." Remember, there is no third
person –s in the subjunctive. Don't say, "It is vital
that he takes his medicine."
Fortunately, there are only a few adjectives that are
used in this form of the subjunctive. Here are some
examples:
It is essential that you bring your wallet.
It is imperative that you read the instructions.
It is important that she arrive on time.
It is necessary that she book the ticket in advance.
Politicians love to use the subjunctive because it gives
a serious and authoritative tone to what they are
saying. Listen to presidential candidate Marco Rubio
using the subjunctive in a recent speech.
"And I just think it's critically important that the
next president of the United States be someone that
understands the 21st century and has ideas that will
make America…allow America to fulfill its potential."
A good way to practice the subjunctive is to listen to
political speeches in English. You are likely to hear
both of the forms that we discussed today.
There are many other ways that English speakers use the
subjunctive. We covered some of them in our episodes on
conditionals and advanced conditionals. Another common
use is to express wishes, as we showed in our episode on
modals of certainty and hope.
Until next time, remember: it is important that you
learn the subjunctive.
For Everyday Grammar, I'm Jill Robbins.
Adam Brock wrote this story for Learning English. Jill
Robbins was the editor. |
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