GRAMMAR

SUBJUNCTIVE AND CONDITIONALS

Subjunctive
FORM

Use the simple form of the verb. The simple form is the infinitive
without the "to." The simple form of the verb "to go" is "go." The
Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses.

USE

The Subjunctive is used to emphasize urgency or importance. It is used

after certain expressions.

Examples:

• I suggest that he study.

• Is it essential that we be there?
• Don recommended that you join the committee.

NOTICE

The Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses. In the

examples below, the Subjunctive is not noticeable in the you-form of
the verb, but it is noticeable in the he-form of the verb.

Examples:

• You try to study often. YOU-FORM OF "TRY"

• It is important that you try to study often. SUBJUNCTIVE FORM OF
"TRY" LOOKS THE SAME.
• He tries to study often. HE-FORM OF "TRY"
• It is important that he try to study often. SUBJUNCTIVE FORM OF "TRY"
IS NOTICEABLE HERE.

Verbs Followed by the Subjunctive

The Subjunctive is used after the following verbs:
to advise (that)
to ask (that)
to command (that)
to demand (that)
to desire (that)
to insist (that)
to propose (that)
to recommend (that)
to request (that)
to suggest (that)
to urge (that)

Examples:

• Dr. Smith asked that Mark submit his research paper before
the end of the month.
• Donna requested Frank come to the party.
• The teacher insists that her students be on time.

Expressions Followed by the Subjunctive

The Subjunctive is used after the following expressions:

It is best (that)
It is crucial (that)
It is desirable (that)
It is essential (that)
It is imperative (that)
It is important (that)
It is recommended (that)
It is urgent (that)
It is vital (that)
It is a good idea (that)
It is a bad idea (that)

Examples:

• It is crucial that you be there before Tom arrives.

• It is important she attend the meeting.
• It is recommended that he take a gallon of water with him if
he wants to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
 Negative, Continuous and Passive Forms of
Subjunctive
The Subjunctive can be used in negative, continuous and passive
forms.

Negative Examples:

• The boss insisted that Sam not be at the meeting.

• The company asked that employees not accept personal phone
calls during business hours.
• I suggest that you not take the job without renegotiating the
salary.

Passive Examples:

• Jake recommended that Susan be hired immediately.

• Christine demanded that I be allowed to take part in the
negotiations.
• We suggested that you be admitted to the organization.

Continuous Examples:

• It is important that you be standing there when he gets off the

plane.
• It is crucial that a car be waiting for the boss when the meeting
is over.
• I propose that we all be waiting in Tim's apartment when he
gets home.

Should as Subjunctive
After many of the above expressions, the word "should" is sometimes
used to express the idea of subjunctiveness. This form is used more
frequently in British English and is most common after the verbs
"suggest," "recommend" and "insist."

Examples:

• The doctor recommended that she should see a specialist

about the problem.
• Professor William suggested that Wilma should study harder
for the final exam.
 Conditionals
Conditional Clause and Main Clause
If I have enough money, I will go to Japan.
conditional clause main clause
I will go to Japan, if I have enough money
main clause conditional clause

First, Second, and Third Conditional

1. First conditional: If I have enough money, I will go to Japan.
2. Second
If I had enough money, I would go to Japan.
conditional:
If I had had enough money, I would have gone to
3. Third conditional:
Japan.

Conditional clause Main clause

1. If + Present Tense will + inf / present tense / imperative
a. If you help me with the dishes (if + pres),
I will help you with your homework. (will + inf)
b. If the sum of the digits of a number is divisible by three,
the number is divisible by three (Pres. tense)
c. If you see Mr Fox tonight, tell him I am ill. (imperative).

2. If + Past Tense would + inf

3. If + Past Perfect Tense would have + past participle
We do not normally use will or would in the conditional clause,
only in the main clause.

Uses of the Conditional

1. First conditional
a. Nature: Open condition, what is said in the condition is
possible.
b. Time: This condition refers either to present or to
future time.
e.g. If he is late, we will have to go without him.
 If my mother knows about this, we are in serious
trouble.

2. Second conditional
a. Nature: unreal (impossible) or improbable situations.
b. Time: present; the TENSE is past, but we are talking
about the present, now.
e.g. If I knew her name, I would tell you.
If I were you, I would tell my father.
Compare: If I become president, I will change the
social security system. (Said by a presidential
candidate)
If I became president, I would change the social
security system. (Said by a schoolboy: improbable)
If we win this match, we are qualified for the
semifinals.
If I won a million pounds, I would stop teaching.
(improbable)

3. Third conditional
a. Nature: unreal
b. Time: Past (so we are talking about a situation that
was not so in the past.)
e.g. If you had warned me, I would not have told your
father about that party.(But you didn't, and I have).

Should in conditional sentences

Should is often used in conditional clauses expressing possibilities,
suppositions etc. By using should in the if-clause we are suggesting
that something is unlikely or not particularly probable.

If you should run into Mathews, tell him that he owes me $100. (=
Your chances of meeting Mathews are rather slim, but if you MEET
him, tell him that he owes me some money.)

More examples are given below:

 If she should come, ask her to wait. (She is unlikely to come, but if
she COMES, ask her to wait.)
If they should attack us again, we will give them a warm reception.
(They are unlikely to attack us again, but if they DO, we will make it
memorable for them as well.)

Should can also go at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, if is

dropped.

Should it rain, there will be no picnic today. (= If it should rain, there

will be no picnic today.)
Should she arrive, ask her to wait.
Should she fail the test, she will lose her job. (= If she should fail the
test, she will lose her job.)

Instead of should we can use happen in the if-clause.

If you happen to meet John, tell him that the meeting has been
postponed.
OR
If you should meet John, tell him that the meeting has been
postponed.

Should and happen to can be used together.

If you should happen to lose your job, what will you do?

Remember!
1.The conditional construction does not normally use will or would in
if-clauses. EXCEPTION: If will or would express willingness, as in
requests, they can be used in if-clauses.

e.g. If you will come this way, the manager will see you now.
I would be grateful if you would give me a little help.
(= ± please, come this way; please, give me...)

2.For the second conditional, were replaces was:

If I were a rich man...

3.After if, we can either use "some(-one, -where...)" or "any(-one, -

where...).
 If I have some spare time next weekend....or :
If I have any spare time...

4.Instead of if not, we can use unless.

e.g. I'll be back tomorrow unless there is a plane strike.
He'll accept the job unless the salary is too low.

5.There is a "mixed type" as well, for the present results of an unreal

condition in the past:
If + Past Perfect - would + inf.
If you had warned me [then], I would not be in prison [now].

I WISH / IF ONLY
Use:
Wish and If only can be used:
a) To wish for an ability now or in the future.
I wish I could play the guitar!
If only I could dance like that!

I wish I could go to your wedding next week, but I can’t.

If only I could see my grandmother more often, but I can’t.

b) To wish that something could be true at the moment.

I wish I had long hair! If only I were taller!

c) To wish that something was happening at the moment.

I wish I was lying on the beach right now! If only I was lying on the beach right
now!

d) To wish that something kept happening again and again, or to wish it could stop
happening.
I wish you wouldn’t shout so loudly. If only he wouldn’t shout so loudly.

e) To wish that something in the past had happened in a different way.

I wish I had studied for my exam! If only I hadn’t argued with him!

Form:

• To wish for an ability now or in the future.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + could + infinitive verb

I wish that I could sing.
If only I could come to Australia too!
 • To wish that something could be true at the moment.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + past simple

I wish I had a pony.
I wish I was rich.
When using the verb ‘be’, you can use ‘were’ for all persons.
I wish I were rich. If only I were rich.

• To wish that something was happening at the moment.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + past continuous

I wish that this traffic was moving.
If only this traffic was/were moving!

• To wish that something kept happening again and again, or to wish it could stop
happening.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + would + past participle

I wish you would tidy up more often.

Often: I wish (that) / If only + subject + would stop + verb-ing

I wish he would stop shouting.
I wish (that) / If only + subject + wouldn’t keep + verb-ing
I wish you wouldn’t keep hitting me.

• To wish that something in the past had happened in a different way.

I wish (that) / If only + past perfect

I wish I had studied for my exam!
If only I hadn’t argued with him!

UNLIKELY, UNREAL AND PAST CONDITIONS

SECOND CONDITIONAL

CONDITION if + past simple RESULT would (not) + infinitive

If we moved out of the city, we would (we´d) be safer.
If he wasn´t so miserable, he might* have more friends
If you lived in the country, you´d be able to go/you could go horse-
riding.
*We use might in the result clause to make the result less certain.

Unlikely future conditions

 We use the second conditional for future actions or situations that are posible, but
UNLIKELY. Compare:

• FIRST CONDITIONAL: My boss is pleased with my work. If I get a pay rise

this year, I´ll buy a new car. (I think I might get a pay rise.)
• SECOND CONDITIONAL: I know I´ve made a lot of mistakes at work, but if
I got a pay rise this year, I´d buy a new car. (I don´t think I´ll get a pay rise.)

Unreal present conditions

We can use the second conditional for present situations that are imaginary, not real:

If they had stricter laws against crime, we wouldn´t have to move! (They don´t
have these laws.)

We wouldn´t go abroad if we had hot summers here. (We don´t have hot
summers.)

ADVICE

We often use the expression If I were you, I´d… to give personal advice:

If I were you, I´d get a taxi home from the party. (=I think you should get a taxi.)

NATURAL ENGLISH Many people use was in the expression. Some people think this is
incorrect:

[I´d get more exercise if I was you.] → I´d get more exercise if I were you.

Alternatives to if

We can also introduce unlikely/unreal condition clauses with

• unless for unlikely conditions: √ I wouldn´t ask for your help unless I
needed it.
But not unreal conditions:
I would be more active X unless I had arthritis. √ if I didn´t have arthritis.
• Imagine/suppose to ask about imaginary situations:
Imagine you had a million dollars, what would you spend i ton? (You don´t
have a million dollars.)
Suppose they lived in the country, would they feel safer? (They don´t live in
the country.)

FORMALITY CHECK In informal British English, we can also use say:

Say you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?