Subjunctive Mood

What Is Subjunctive Mood?

To understand subjunctive mood, we must first understand what mood is. In grammar, mood refers to a verb form that shows the writer's attitude toward the content of his or her words. There are three different kinds of mood in English grammar. Subjunctive mood expresses a desire, a requirement, a suggestion, or a hypothetical. The other two types of mood are indicative and imperative. Indicative mood asks a question or expresses a fact or opinion, while imperative mood is used to issue a command.

Examples

Subjective mood can express a desire or a wish.

I wish I were there to help you celebrate your birthday.

Subjunctive mood can also express a requirement or necessity.

It is essential that the volunteers arrive on time.

Suggestions are also considered subjunctive mood.

I suggest that you move your car away from the dead tree.

Hypothetical situations are also expressions cast in subjunctive mood.

If I won the lottery, I would build a house in the country.

Notice that none of these examples depict an event that has actually happened; instead, these statements express wishes and needs.

Using Subjunctive Verb Forms

Identifying sentences that use subjunctive mood is rather easy, and the rules for choosing appropriate verb forms for subjunctive expressions is simple, too.

First, use the plural verb were in clauses that are in conflict with fact. These clauses will often begin with the word if and will express a wish. For example,

I wish Mr. Brown were my professor; I understand that his lectures are compelling.

If you were going to the beach, what kind of shoes would you take?

Verbs like ask, recommend, insist, urge, and require are sometimes followed by dependent clauses that begin with that. In these cases, the verb in the dependent clauses should be expressed in the subjunctive mood. Here are some examples.

The law requires that property taxes be paid annually.

The doctor insisted that she go to the hospital.

Some Idioms Use Subjunctive Mood

Idiom is a set way of expressing an idea that is not discernible from the actual words. Several of these expressions use the subjunctive. For example,

Come rain or come shine.

The people be damned.