I have often wondered the same thing.

I agree with Barbara about the advisability of teaching the

subjunctive. I would not describe the subjunctive as exactly dying; it's just quite formal, and
formality in our world is not increasing!
he subjunctive mood in a noun clause that ! the subject ! the simple form of the verb comes
after certain verbs, as in sentence "a#, and adjectives, as in sentence "b#$
"a#
%er father insists that she speak &nglish
well.
"b#
it's absolutely essential that the meeting
begin on time.
It is very effective in establishing a sense of urgency in a formal manner.
'lternatively, you can use many of these verbs(such as require, urge or ask(in a less formal
manner in this construction$ verb ! the noun or pronoun object ! the infinitive, as in the
sentence$
"c#
)niversity rules require a player to keep
up in his academic studies.
"d#
I as*ed him to help me.
'nother alternative with some of the verbs is to use a gerund or a gerund +hrase, li*e this$
"e#
I recommend telling the truth.
"f#
I as*ed him to help me.
he adjectives of urgency "vital, essential, important, etc.# are often used in a less formal way,
too$ using the construction for ! noun or pronoun object ! infinitive, as in these exam+les$
"g#
It's important for you to be on time.
"h#
It's essential for the handicapped to have
s+ecial access.
I've +ut some of the verbs and adjectives that can be used with the subjunctive into a chart, which
also shows alternative ways to ex+ress the same idea. ,ote that two of these verbs(suggest and
insist(can also be used with the indicative, with a diferent meaning.
A:
he subjunctive in noun clauses in British &nglish is getting rarer and rarer, being su++lanted by
the indicative in many cases. %ere-s a sam+le from British fiction, where the indicative is
es+ecially common$
"a# .oberta had given them directions,
suggesting that they headed straight for the
old barn.
"b#
/y dear husband insisted that we came here
for the holidays
'merican &nglish, too, uses the indicative sometimes, but rarely. 0rom a recent statement by an
'merican +olitician$
"c#
1iven the situation, it is essential that their
questions are answered
In contrast, the norm in 'merican &nglish is the subjunctive. he indicative is gaining ground,
but the subjunctive is well established. British &nglish, however, uses the indicative often and
also ma*es heavy use of should ! verb, es+ecially in formal style.
he indicative usually does not affect the meaning of an utterance(that is, it doesn-t indicate
extra urgency or necessarily strong will of the subject . here is a very good reason, however, to
use the subjunctive if the utterance can be misinter+reted. 0or exam+le, both insist and suggest
have two distinct meanings.
"f#
2he suggested that he not tell the truth to his
+arents
"2he thought that he should not tell the truth to
his +arents(they would be too u+set.#
"g#
he senator suggested that his o++onent tell
the truth about the money.
"he senator thought that his o++onent should
tell the truth about the money.#
Insist has the same two *inds of meanings$
3# 4say very directly, try to convince,5 as in
"h#
%e insisted that his daughter spoke &nglish
well.
"%e said very forcefully, against all evidence to
the contrary, that his daughter s+o*e &nglish
well.#
"i#
/y aunt insists that she was born in 3678,
even though her three older brothers all
remember that she was born in 3699
"/y aunt said very forcefully, against the
statements of her brothers to the contrary, that
she was born in 3678.#
:# 4say with the intention of influencing someone-s behavior;$
"j#
%e insisted that his daughter speak &nglish
well
"%e +ut +ressure on her to s+ea* &nglish well
(that-s what he wanted her to do.#
"*#
/y grandmother insists that everybody come
to her house every ,ew <ear-s =ay.
"2he +ractically forces the whole family to be
at her house every ,ew <ear-s =ay.
2tudents should learn to use the subjunctive, but along the way, sooner or later, they will
encounter the indicative. ' good exercise might be to as* them to notice usages in the +rinted
media, to see just how these verbs are really used.
Marilyn Martin
2ubjunctive
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