THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

Whereas the indicative expresses facts and is closely related to reality, the
subjunctive "represents something not as actual reality, but as formed in the mind of the
speaker as a desire, wish, volition, conception, thought; sometimes with more or less
hope of realization, or, in the case of a statement, with more or less belief; sometimes
with little or no hope or faith." (George Curme, 1935:391)
While the indicative is informative, relating facts to moments in real time, the
subjunctive is prescriptive, it indicates a theoretically possible or potential course of
events that the world may take. The subjunctive expresses value judgements,
commentaries about theoretical or desirable situations or commands aimed at making
somebody bring about a certain state of affairs.
The subjunctive can be either synthetic (using old inflectional forms) or
analytic / periphrastic (employing modal verbs, the most widely used being should). In
its turn, the synthetic subjunctive classifies into an old subjunctive and a new one. All of
them have present and past forms.

SYNTHETIC SUBJUNCTIVE - OLD FORMS

The old subjunctive is used in formulas and after would rather (expressing
preference) and had better (interpreted as suggestion or advice):

Long live the Queen! So be it! Come what may! Grammar be hanged!
I would rather go to the mountains than to the seaside.
I would rather have lived in the country.
It's rather late, I had better leave now.

Would rather can be replaced by prefer, but this requires the use of the gerund: I
prefer reading to writing.
At the same time, American English tends to use this type of subjunctive in
contexts such as "It's important that you go there." where British English uses the
analytic subjunctive - "It's important that you should go there."

SYNTHETIC SUBJUNCTIVE - NEW FORMS

The new forms of the synthetic subjunctive - second form of the verb for the
present subjunctive (NB. TO BE has WERE for all persons) and had + third form of the
verb for the past subjunctive - are used in the following contexts:

1) after if:
He wouldn't accept your apologies if he knew about your lies.
(hypothetical situation)
They wouldn't have come to the meeting if they hadn't been invited.
(hypothetical past situation)
 An alternative to the last example is a structure introduced by unless (= only if
not) always followed by the verb in the affirmative. However, not all negative if
sentences can be turned into unless sentences:

They wouldn't have come to the meeting unless they had been invited.
If I don't come back in time, I'll give you a call.
*I'll give you a call unless I come back in time.

If one situation depends on another, we can replace if with provided, on

condition that or as long as, which are followed by the indicative:

I'll lend you the money provided you don't tell my mother.
I won't scold you again as long as you behave nicely.

The same context mentioned above allows the use of if it were not for (for
present reference), if it hadn't been for (for past reference) or but for, all followed by
noun phrases:

If it weren't for your interest in his studies, he would fail all his exams.
If it hadn't been for Jim, I would have drowned in the sea.
But for her ambition, she wouldn't have managed to overcome that
difficult situation.

Apart from the subjunctive forms mentioned so far, if can be followed by modal
verbs that preserve their original meaning in these contexts: should, will, would and
could. Should after if, as well as the parallel structure happen to, makes the possibility of
an event seem unlikely:

If you should hear from him / if you happen to hear from him, will you
inform me?

Will after if introduces the idea of your willingness to do what is suggested; would
in similar contexts is more tentative, more polite:

If you will join me to that meeting, I would be very grateful.

If you would fill in these forms now, I could grant you the loan sooner.

On the other hand, will in if sentences can also express obstinate insistence,
usually referring to a bad habit:

If you will laugh at people all the time, no wonder nobody wants to talk to
you.

The negative counterpart of will (won’t) indicates one's refusal to do something:

 If he won't listen to me, I can't help him.

NB. Apart from these two types of conditional tenses that employ subjunctive
forms, there is a third possibility that uses the indicative (usually, the simple present) in
the subordinate and a future form in the main clause (see present tense simple with future
value). When we aim at emphasizing completion after if, we use a perfect form,
suggesting that the event in the conditional sentence necessarily precedes the event in the
main clause:

If you have finished your meal, I will clear the plates.

NB. Literary English also allows inversion of the subject and the auxiliary verb
instead of an if clause (Had I arrived earlier instead of If I had arrived earlier, Were I to
return sooner instead of If I were to return sooner, etc.)
Had and were are in fact the auxiliaries most commonly involved in such emphatic
structures.

2) after if only to add emphasis to a hypothetical situation or to suggest a sense of regret

when combined with the past subjunctive; quite often the second part of the sentence
is left out:
If only I won the competition!
If only she had told me the truth, I wouldn't have tried to talk her out of
selling the car!

3) after even if / even though:

They would reject her proposal even if she followed their instructions.
You wouldn't have found her even if you had hired a private detective.
NB. It is also possible to employ the indicative after even if/though, however with
a difference in meaning. Compare:

I still don't like him even if he tried to be nice to me last time I saw him.
(factual)
I wouldn't like him even if he tried to be nice to me. (hypothetical)

4) after as if / as though to express an unreal comparison:

He is looking at me as if I were his long-lost brother.
They were acting as if they hadn't recognized him.

5) after it's (high) time we employ either the long infinitive or a For + Accusative +
Infinitive construction to suggest that the right moment to do something has come, or
we use the present form of the subjunctive to imply that we are rather late in doing
something:

It's time (for us) to pack our luggage and go.

It's (high) time you informed her of your failure.
6) after wish
I wish he came back sooner.
I wish they hadn't left for Rome.

Notice that a construction with would after wish is possible when the speaker
intends to express an annoying habit, to invite someone's cooperation or to indicate that
either people or events frustrate his desires:

I wish you would stop interrupting me.

I wish you would hurry up.
I wish it would stop raining.

7) after would rather when the speaker's preference involves another person's
performance of an action:

I would rather they invited me to the theater.

He would rather his daughter hadn't behaved like a fool.

8) after supposing / suppose or imagine:

Suppose you inherited a huge fortune, how would you spend it?
Supposing they hadn't arrived in time, would you still have attempted to
save the kid?
Imagine we'd never spent this time together!

9) after in case, which introduces a contingency or possibility against which a

precaution is needed in advance, we use either the indicative or the analytic
subjunctive (to suggest greater improbability):

I'll make a cake in case Father Ted drops by in the afternoon.

I'll save a seat for you in case you should decide to come.

THE ANALYTIC SUBJUNCTIVE

This type of subjunctive appears in complement THAT-clauses of various kinds,
suggesting theoretical or potential states or events. Function of the verb / adjective
contained in the main clause or the noun phrase that functions as the antecedent of the
relative clause which contains the subjunctive, such sentences often express either a
command, an order, a resolution, an intention, etc. or a wish, a suggestion, a piece of
advice, etc.

I demand that they should be treated with more respect.

I desire that he should be granted the scholarship.
It is desirable that he could obtain the loan to pay for his studies.
 It is my desire that she should be invited to our reception.

SUBJECT AND OBJECT CLAUSES

1) after exercitive verbs: ask, beg, advise, order, instruct, prohibit, command, propose,
urge, recommend, suggest etc. in object clauses:

He suggested that we should take the path to the left.

God forbid that your husband should find out you've been cheating on him!
The king ordered that his kingdom should be divided among his sons.

2) after boulomaic verbs: want, wish, hope, desire, choose in object clauses:

I wish you should be here.

I didn't choose that they should shun her.
I desire that you should comply with my request.

3) after verbs of linguistic communication: tell, say, arrange, inform, point out, remark,
insist, convince, persuade etc. in object clauses:

He told them that I should be more careful with the kids.

She convinced me that I should apply for a grant.
I insist that the meeting should be over by ten.

4) in assertive sentences after doubt, think, matter, fancy, imagine, complain in object
clauses:

And that you should deceive us, well, I don't exactly understand it, but I can
imagine it.
It doesn't matter that Max should have bought a Cadillac.
I doubt that I should succeed.

5) after emotive verbs and adjectives:

- non-factive intransitive adjectives (in subject clauses): be good / right / best /
important / essential / natural / (un)likely / necessary etc.:

It is important that you should understand the underlying meaning of his

words.
It is very unlikely that he should have already received news from her.

- non-factive transitive verbs and adjectives (in object clauses): intend, prefer, hate,
be anxious / eager:

I prefer that they should call before paying me a visit.

I am most anxious that she should get the present I bought for her.
 - factive intransitive adjectives: be odd / tragic / amazing / surprising:

It is amazing that they should survive after all this time.

It is odd that you should have agreed to such a proposal.

- factive transitive verbs (in subject and object clauses): amaze, alarm, bother,
surprise, astonish, regret etc.:

It bothers me that he should be so obtuse.

It amazes me that you could give up on us so easily.
He regretted that the little girl should be ill, but I know that she is shamming.

ADVERBIAL CLAUSES
1) OF PURPOSE:
Let the dog loose so that he can have a run.
He had sat between the twins so that he could court them.
I called in the hope that I might find you.
We dared not speak for fear the enemy might hear us.
We evacuated the building lest the walls should collapse.

2) CONCESSIVE:
Foolish though she may be, she is kind of heart.
However little you may love her, I don't think you will abandon her.
Whatever sins he may have, he can still be saved.

3) OF CONDITION:
Should the dam explode, we would immediately evacuate the village.
I could help you if you would agree to follow my advice.

4) OF RESULT:
We should proceed in such a manner that the public may indorse our cause.
She is so ill that she should be given an extra dose immediately.