THE SUBJUNCTIVE

The subjunctive is a special verb modality used in a few cases to talk about events which are
not certain to happen, which we hope will happen or imagine might happen.

 If I were rich I wouldn´t work at all.

The forms of the subjunctive are as follows:

1. TO BE: present tense: I, you, he, she…..BE

Past tense: I, you, he, she….WERE

2. OTHER VERBS: All present and past subjunctive forms are the same as the infinitive: I,
you, he … GO

The subjunctive is used in certain cases where we say that something should be done. This
happens especially in two structures:

1. After the verbs: order; command; insist; demand; request; ask; suggest; recommend…
followed by THAT.

 She insisted that she help her

 We insist that a meeting be held as soon as possible
 The Committee recommended that the company invest in new property

2. In the construction: it is important/ vital/ essential/ necessary…

- He said that it was important that every member send his subscription by the end of
the month

The subjunctive is the same whether the sentence is present or past. BUT IN British English,
these structures are unusual. Instead, we more often use SHOULD + INFINITIVE

- We insist that the meeting should be held

AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE SUBJUNCTIVE WHEN ESPRESSING HYPOTHESIS

WISH.- It is used to say that we would like things to be different from what they are

STRUCTURE: I wish+ simple past . It is used for a present and future reference.

 I wish I had more money

 I wish you lived nearer

I wish+ past perfect. It is used for a past reference

 I wish I hadn´t said that

 I wish I had gone to the party (but actually I didn´t)

WERE is used instead of WAS with “to be”

When we are talking about an action, an event, in the sense of insistence, habit or
willingness we can use WOULD after I WISH
  I wish you would help me more (willingness)
 I wish you would shut up ( habit)

IF ONLY.- It expresses a strong wish or regret about something

If only+ simple past connected with present or future

 If only I had a car (but I don´t)

 If only I could get to the next petrol station

If only + past perfect connected with the past

 If only you hadn´t told Henry what I said.

WOULD can also be used with the idea of willingness, habit…

 If only we would play the violin in the middle of the night.

IT´S TIME.- It can be followed by an infinitive

 It´s time to go to bed

 It´s time for us to buy a new car

But when we want to say “it´s time” for somebody else to do something we use:
It´s time +subject +past tense.
 It´s time you went to bed
 It´s time she washed her car
WOULD RATHER.- This expression is followed by a bare infinitive and means “would prefer
to”.
 Would you rather stay here or go home?

WOULD RATHER can be used with different subjects before and after it to say
that one person would prefer another to do something. In this case, we
generally use a past tense with a present or future meaning.
 I´d rather you went home now.
 Don´t come tomorrow. I´d rather you came next weekend.
 My wife would rather we didn´t see each other any more.

To talk about past actions, a PAST PERFECT TENSE is used.

 I´d rather you hadn´t gone there.

However it is more common to express this kind of idea with I wish

WOULD LIKE.- It is used with a PERFECT INFINITIVE to talk about things which we wish
we had done.
 I would like to have seen his face when he opened the letter

This idea can also be expressed with the structure I would have liked followed by
an ordinary infinitive or a perfect infinitive.
 I would have liked to see his face when he opened the letter.
HAD BETTER.- You had better stay in bed a bit more if you don´t feel well
EXERCISES ON GRAMMAR

1. - Put the verbs in brackets in an appropriate tense to express either fact or non-fact as
appropriate where there is no verb, insert an auxiliary verb.

A.- This hotel is horrible. I wish we ______________ (not come) here. I _____________
(never see) such a dirty hotel in my life! If only the bathroom ______________ (be)
clean, I ____________ (can) have a bath, but it ___________ (be) filthy in there. I
___________ _______________ (even not wash) my socks in it!.
B.- I know, but it __________________ (get) late, we ________________ (drive) all day,
and I ____________ (want) to stop. We might not have found another hotel for
miles!
Then where ______________________ (we stay)? This is better than nothing. At
least we can get something to eat. It´s time we ______________ (go) down to the
restaurant. It closes soon. We ______________ (find) something better tomorrow, I
_______________ (promise).

2. - Respond to the following facts with a wish

- My eldest son isn´t very bright.

I wish he ___________________________________________________
- You worry too much.
I wish ______________________________________________________
- I overslept this morning and I was late for work.
If only ______________________________________________________
- She´s desperately shy.
If only ______________________________________________________
- I don´t want you to drive so far in one day.
I´d rather ____________________________________________________
- I´ve been given the sack
If only ______________________________________________________
- I want you to settle down and get a better job.
It´s time ____________________________________________________
- My father didn´t want me to marry Jim
He´d rather _________________________________________________
- Everybody except us has a word processor these days.
It´s about time _______________________________________________
- He couldn´t complete it on time.
He wishes ___________________________________________________