Unit 20: The subjunctive
UK vs US English
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- 1 Go beyond intermediate with our new video course
- 2 Reported speech in 90 seconds!
- 3 If or whether?
- 4 5 ways to use 'would'
- 5 Let and allow
- 6 Passive voice
- 7 Unless
- 8 Mixed conditionals
- 9 The zero article - in 90 seconds
- 10 The indefinite article - in 90 seconds
- 11 The. That's right - the! Learn all about it in 90 seconds
- 12 The continuous passive
- 13 Future perfect
- 14 Need + verb-ing
- 15 Have something done
- 16 Wish
- 17 Word stress
- 18 Different ways of saying 'if'
- 19 Passive reporting structures
- 20 The subjunctive
- 21 When and if
- 22 Inversion
- 23 Phrasal verbs
- 24 The future
- 25 Modals in the past
- 26 Narrative tenses
- 27 Phrasal verb myths
- 28 Conditionals review
- 29 Used to - review
- 30 Linking words of contrast
Session 1
Take a journey with Dan as he hunts down the mysterious subjunctive verb form! Can he find any examples hiding in the corridors of the BBC, in just 90 seconds?
Activity 1
English Class
Hunting down the subjunctive
Do not adjust your screen… Dan leads us on a strange journey through the corridors of the BBC to look for a rare verb form – the subjunctive. Can he find any examples to share with you?
Watch the video and complete the activity
Hi guys. Dan from BBC Learning English here. Deep in the darkest heart of the BBC.
We’re on a quest for the very rare subjunctive verb form.
They used to be everywhere in old English but in modern English they are much harder to find. It is vital that we be here for no longer than 90 seconds. Are you ready? Go!
So, the subjunctive is a verb form which expresses possible, unreal, imaginary or desirable situations. We see it most often in conditionals and wishes. But it can still be found in a few other very useful places.
"I've found some! Finally!"
One place subjunctives can be found is in sentences that start: It + be + an adjective:
It is important that you go as soon as possible
It’s essential that he see a doctor
It’s crucial that they leave the building
It’s best that you not be at the meeting
These verb forms here are subjunctives. Notice that with a third person subjunctive – he, she and it – we don’t add an s and to make a negative subjunctive we use not.
These sentences are very formal.
The other place we can find a subjunctive is with verbs like recommend and suggest. Again the same rules apply:
I suggest that you be there on time
I recommend that he not drink so much again
And that’s it! Maybe they aren’t so rare after all. For more information and a full transcript of everything that was said here, go to BBC Learning English.com.
Summary
The subjunctive is a verb form which expresses possible, unreal, imaginary or desirable situations. We see it most often in conditionals and wishes.
We also find it in sentences that start with: It + be + an adjective:
It is important that you go as soon as possible
It’s essential that he see a doctor
It’s crucial that they leave the building
It’s best that you not be at the meeting
These sentences are very formal. Notice that the form of the subjunctive is almost always the same as the form of the infinitive (except for be).
The other place we can find a subjunctive is with verbs like recommend and suggest:
I suggest that you be there on time
I recommend that he not drink so much again
To do
Practise the subjunctive with our quiz.
I recommend that you answer these questions!
3 Questions
How much did you understand? Use the subjunctive to complete these sentences...
Help
Activity
How much did you understand? Use the subjunctive to complete these sentences...
Hint
Remember, the subjunctive is almost always the same as the infinitive.Question 1 of 3
Help
Activity
How much did you understand? Use the subjunctive to complete these sentences...
Hint
Remember, the subjunctive is almost always the same as the infinitive.Question 2 of 3
Help
Activity
How much did you understand? Use the subjunctive to complete these sentences...
Hint
This is 'not' what you'd expect…Question 3 of 3
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
End of Session 1
Well done that's the end of this session. We recommend that you try the next session!
Next
Vocabulary from the news in News Review.
Session Grammar
The subjunctive expresses possible, unreal, imaginary or desirable situations.
We see it most often in conditionals and wishes.
We also find it in sentences that start with:
It + be + an adjective:
It is important that you go as soon as possible
It’s essential that he see a doctor