About the subjunctive mood

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,
I have some query about the subjunctive mood:

1/ Do we have to use verbs in subjunctive mood after “hope”?
(i.e: I hope that he like it/likes it/will like it)

2/ subjunctive mood is required after “it is necessary that…”, but how about “it is unnecessary that…”?

3/

"It is essential that she (not come) late.
=> How is the verbs in negative subjunctive? (not come/don’t come/ doesn’t come)

Many thanks
Nessie

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2

No, “I hope he likes it” would be the usual construction. Sometimes “I hope he will like it” is used.

In AmE, the subjunctive is extremely commonly used in this sort of sentence. (“It is necessary that tech support be available 24/7.”)
However the present simple is also used. (“It is necessary that tech support is available 24/7.”)

The same (as above) is true when you use ‘not necessary’ and ‘unnecessary’.

The subjunctive form would be ‘not come’:
“It is essential that she not come late.”

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The same (as above) is true when you use ‘not necessary’ and ‘unnecessary’.
[color=violet]Can this rule be applied in both British English and American English, Amy?
Thank you very much.

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By the way, how about these, Amy:

Suppose she come, what would you do?

=> I have 2 questions:

  1. Is the use of “would” here OK? or should it be “will”?
  2. Id the speaker refers to something in the past, how will the verb “be” be? and how about the verb “woud/will”? Should they be kept intact?
    Supposing she come/came yesterday, what would (or…?) you do?
5

I would not use “Suppose she come” at all.

Use the same sort of patterns as for IF-sentences Type 1 and 2 to refer to the future:
(1) “Suppose she comes. What will you do?”
(2) “Suppose she came. What would you do?”

Follow the basic pattern of a ‘Type 3’ IF-sentence:
(3) “Suppose she had come yesterday. What would you have done?”
.

6

Yankee,
what if I want to say:

“It’s necessary that one makes the translation as soon as possible.”

In this case, I don’t want to address to a specific person. I only want to advise anyone who is able to read this sentence. Or should I write “It’s necessary to make the translation as soon as possible.”?
Which one would work well in English?
Thanks,
Abraão.

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Hi Nessie,

You might like to have a look at some material I’ve written on the subjunctive for the site:

Alan

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Hi Abraão

I’d say ‘do a translation’ would be a more typical collocation than ‘make a translation’, and instead of using an active sentence with the word ‘one’, I’d prefer a passive construction using the subjunctive:

  • [color=blue]“It’s necessary that the translation be done as soon as possible.”

The passive sentence above sounds natural to me, but the active form of this sentence (using ‘one’) sounds quite awkward.

Of course, it is also possible to say the same thing using an infinitive:

  • [color=blue]“It’s necessary to do the translation as soon as possible.”
    .
9

many thanks Yankee.
your help is too much useful to me.
Abraão.

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Hi Nessie

Have a look at this thread for some additional information:

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[color=violet]Thank you very much, Alan and Amy :slight_smile:

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qe

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[color=blue]Could you please answer these question for me, Amy :stuck_out_tongue: - Thanks a lot :P:P

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Hi Nessie

The present subjunctive is not used terribly often, but it is apparently still used more often in AmE than in BE. I believe that in many cases where a Yank might use the present subjunctive, a Brit would use “should+verb”. (Maybe a Brit will be able to clarify this British usage for you.)

It is probably easier to learn patterns and word partnerships (and a handful of idiomatic expressions) for using the present subjunctive rather than to try to learn so-called rules and exceptions – such a list of “exceptions” might end up being hundreds of miles long. :lol: That’s why I gave you the link to the other thread.
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