Practice Makes Perfect

The present tense subjunctive is used to express a demand, suggestion, or request. In these

instances, the subjunctive must be used in place of a regular present tense conjugation. Notice

that it is optional to use the conjunction that. Consider these sentences:

She demanded you beon time tomorrow. (not are)

She demanded thatyou beon time tomorrow.

I suggested he comeby for a visit. (not comes)

I suggested thathe comeby for a visit.

The judge requested the lawyer havethe documents prepared. (not has)

The judge requested thatthe lawyer havethe documents prepared.

This same structure is used with a few other similar verbs: to command, to order, to propose.

The past tense subjunctive is often used to express a wish:

I wish Ahmed weremy brother.

She wished she hadenough money for a car.

If only my mother workedfor him, too.

The children wish it already wereChristmas.

Note that a wish can be expressed by beginning a sentence with ifor if only.

You should be aware that wereis sometimes avoided in casual conversation and is frequently

replaced by the simple past tense verb waswith singular subjects (e.g., I wish Ahmed wasmy

brother.).

The subjunctive formed with wouldis used when there are two clauses in a sentence and one of

them is an if-clause. This kind of sentence sets a condition in one clause for the action to occur

in the second clause. The past tense subjunctive is used in the if-clause. The word wouldappears

in the clause that does notbegin with if. Some examples:

If Nadia werehere, Mother would bevery happy.

If I hada million dollars, I would buya big house.

She would travelto Spain if her uncle invitedher.

Mr. Perez would learnEnglish if he livedin Texas.

These sentences mean that the action would happen in the present or the future if the condi-

tions were right.

This would happen if these conditions were right.

She would travelto Spain if her uncle invitedher.

The same format is required even if the verbs are structured like the present perfect tense (I

have gone, you have seen, etc.):

If Nadia had beenhere, Mother would have beenvery happy.

Mr. Perez would have learnedEnglish if he had livedin Texas.

These sentences mean that the action would have happened in the past if the conditions had

been right.

This would have happened if these conditions had been right.

Mr. Perez would have learnedEnglish if he had livedin Texas.

54 Practice Makes Perfect: English Grammar for ESL Learners

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