{"id":4600,"date":"2021-04-19T06:00:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T11:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=4600"},"modified":"2025-03-03T08:47:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T14:47:02","slug":"subjunctive-mood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/effective-writing\/subjunctive-mood\/","title":{"rendered":"Subjunctive Mood: What Is the Subjunctive Mood?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A GrammarBook reader came across this sentence:\u00a0If I were very lucky, I would get the chance to go.<\/em>\u00a0She asked, “Shouldn’t\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0be followed by\u00a0was<\/em>, not\u00a0were<\/em>, since\u00a0I\u00a0<\/em>is singular?”<\/p>\n

This type of question is common within English grammar, particularly because it walks the line between the conditional tense<\/a> and the subjunctive mood when a dependent if<\/em> clause is involved.<\/p>\n

The difference lies in that the subjunctive mood in an if <\/em>clause declares a wish or a supposition that is either impossible or highly unlikely.<\/p>\n

The conditional tense, on the other hand, conveys a possible scenario with a plausible speculative result. (Note also that the conditional tense will always include an if <\/em>clause; the subjunctive mood does not always include one, as we’ll see in the next section.)<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If\u00a0I were<\/em>\u00a0a billionaire, I’d sail around the world for the next ten years. (subjunctive mood<\/u> for a highly unlikely scenario; very slim chance of becoming a billionaire)<\/p>\n

If she was<\/em> a better listener, she would understand the details more clearly. (conditional tense<\/u> for a possible scenario with a plausible speculative result; possibility of becoming a better listener)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To indicate the mood it represents, the subjunctive alters proper verb conjugation. With the verb to be <\/em>in a contrary-to-fact if <\/em>clause, the subjunctive always uses the past tense were<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“If I were <\/em>an Oscar Meyer wiener \u2026”<\/p>\n

If you were <\/em>seven feet tall, you might be able to slam-dunk that basketball.<\/p>\n

If Stephen were <\/em>king of the world, he would make donuts free for everyone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Is the Subjunctive Mood: Other Uses<\/h2>\n

The subjunctive mood also appears in other statements expressing a wish, demand, suggestion, or recommendation.<\/p>\n

In these contexts, the subjunctive alters verb conjugation by dropping the -s <\/em>from the third-person singular tense. If the verb is to be, <\/em>the subjunctive uses the present tense be.<\/em> If the verb already does not include the -s <\/em>ending, as for you,<\/em> there is no change.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She requested that he lower <\/em>his asking price. (expressing a wish)<\/p>\n

The school requires that Mary arrive <\/em>at school on time. (expressing a demand)<\/p>\n

Shane proposes that we be<\/em> ready to modify the blueprints for the new shopping mall. (expressing a suggestion)<\/p>\n

The fire department recommends that you test <\/em>your fire alarms regularly to ensure they are properly working. (expressing a recommendation)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Is the Subjunctive Mood: It’s Not the Conditional<\/h2>\n

Because the subjunctive and the conditional can be so commonly confused, it bears repeating what their difference is.<\/p>\n

As we’ve discussed, the conditional tense conveys a possible scenario with a speculative result, and it will always include a dependent if<\/em> clause.<\/p>\n

The conditional tense also does not alter verb conjugation in the way the subjunctive mood does to indicate itself.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If he lowers <\/em>the asking price, she will accept the deal.<\/p>\n

If Mary arrives<\/em> at school on time, she will not be marked as tardy.<\/p>\n

If we<\/em> are <\/em>ready to modify the blueprints, we will save more time in the planning for the new shopping mall.<\/p>\n

If you test<\/em> your fire alarms regularly, you can ensure they are properly working.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In light of what we’ve discussed, we can return to our opening sentence to determine if we should use the subjunctive mood or the conditional tense: If I was\/were very lucky, I would get the chance to go.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the answer? It probably depends on how plausible\u2014or not\u2014you believe your luck can be.<\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Now that you further understand what the subjunctive mood is, choose the correct verb in each of the following sentences.<\/p>\n

1. If I [was \/ were] Superman, I could have won that race.<\/p>\n

2. Management has required that we [be \/ are] at the party this weekend.<\/p>\n

3. If she [was \/ were] truly your friend, she wouldn’t talk behind your back.<\/p>\n

4. Beth has proposed he [tries \/ try] a different approach.<\/p>\n

5. If he [raise \/ raises] his hand, he will be the first one chosen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1. If I\u00a0were<\/strong>\u00a0Superman, I would have won that race. (subjunctive: I am not and will never be Superman.)<\/p>\n

2. Management has required that we be<\/strong> at the party this weekend. (subjunctive: expression of a demand)<\/p>\n

3. If she\u00a0was <\/strong>truly your friend, she wouldn’t talk behind your back. (conditional: She could be your friend, but right now she is not.)<\/p>\n

4. Beth has proposed he try<\/strong> a different approach. (subjunctive: expression of a suggestion)<\/p>\n

5. If he raises<\/strong> his hand, he will be the first one chosen. (conditional: possible scenario with a plausible speculative result)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A GrammarBook reader came across this sentence:\u00a0If I were very lucky, I would get the chance to go.\u00a0She asked, “Shouldn’t\u00a0I\u00a0be followed by\u00a0was, not\u00a0were, since\u00a0I\u00a0is singular?” This type of question is common within English grammar, particularly because it walks the line between the conditional tense and the subjunctive mood when a dependent if clause is involved. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,43,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-effective-writing","category-subject-and-verb-agreement","category-verbs"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4600"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4600"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7173,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4600\/revisions\/7173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}