Structures: The Subjunctive (IELTS, TOEFL Writing)

hi welcome to write the top I'm Adam in today's video I want to talk to you about the subjunctive mood now the subjunctive mood is essentially a structure that we use especially in writing of course it is used in spoken English but not as commonly as it is in written English and in more formal written English okay so this is especially good for those of you taking the IELTS TOEFL or any English exam where you have to write an essay or a letter or an article etc and the reason I want you to know the subjunctive mood is because it adds variety to your sentence structures it adds a little bit of style to your writing and can make your writing very pretty to say something about that now it is very easy to write and say the same ideas without using the subjunctive but you want to have the variety so you want to know another style of expressing an idea and this is what we're going to do today now the thing you need to know about the subjunctive mood we're going to look at four different ways of using it one of them is pretty familiar to you it's basically the if conditional the unreal if conditional but we're looking at a specific type of that conditional we're also looking for wishful thinking basically using the verb wish we're going to look at how to express commands give advice or suggestions or how to express the importance or urgency of something and we're going to look at a few fixed expressions that use the subjunctive mood now before I get into this all I want you to do is watch how I build them look at some of the examples make sure you understand the construction don't try to understand the reasons behind it don't worry about that there is no rhyme or reason to a lot of the stuff we do in English learn the construction learn how and when to use it and you'll improve your essays get a higher score because you have some more sophistication let's start with the if conditional so we have regular if a subject plus were or were 2 and then the second Clause has we would verb if I were you I would leave it alone now the reason I'm bringing this up is a subjunctive and not as an if conditional is because we're using the verb so with any other verb you have a regular condition unreal conditional if past tense verb would if I won a million dollars I would buy a house when you use the be verb it's always work never once now I'm sure that many of you have heard native English speakers say oh if I was you that's fine people use it a lot it's accepted technically not correct this is the subjunctive using the word for the conditional if I were you if he were if she were if they were if you were doesn't matter what the subject is always were we're going to talk about two in a second if she were in the situation she would do it differently if I were if she were doesn't matter the pronoun the subject etc if we're talking about a future unreal then we used to if Jim were to become CEO you can be sure he would fire half the staff within a week in the future if this happens he would do this so it's still an unreal but we use were two and then the base verb the infinitive verb if you said if jim becomes CEO then the second clause would have to be you can be sure he will fire because now it's a real possibility if he become in fact he will in fact now look at the last sentence were john to ask for a raise and I look at the top there were + subject + - verb word John to ask for a raise it is likely he would actually be fired basically what this means is if John were to ask for a raise all I'm doing is I'm switching the order and I'm taking out the if this is a very formal style of the subjunctive be very careful about using it because if you use it incorrectly you can make it very difficult for the reader to understand what's going on maybe your whole paragraph even falls apart I'm going to give you some more formal situations a little bit after I explain the other parts wishful thinking subject a swish + past tense verb and again if you're using the be verb again it's weird work not what technically it's a subject and which + exact I wish I were with with you I wish what that I were with you we generally don't use that leave that conjunction but I just want you to understand that it is technically a that Clause and we're going to talk about that clauses in the next part as well if you say I wish to be with you that's a whole different thing that's expressing a desire I wish I was with you is expressing a wish something that's very unrealistic I wish I were with you means but I'm not okay he wishes he were more skilled with computers Jane wished she were Richard what do you notice about these examples we wish is the verb that takes the tents the word were word never changes okay he wishes Jane wished I wish one day she will wish something the wish takes the tenth the be verb always were when you're using wish okay let's move on okay so now we're looking at a very specific structure we're talking about a particular indicative verb and I will explain that in a second plus a that noun clause so we mentioned of that clause before here it's a very distinct that cause you can use that we don't have to use that sometimes you will sometimes you want depending on the situation noun clause with a base verb and that's the key that is the actual subjunctive the base verb base means it doesn't take any tense it was only the verb itself so the base of B is B naught is was where whatever it doesn't change tense always be play always play doesn't matter he she I we they play never plays never played never will play the subjunctive verb does not take a tense it's timeless okay it's a mood that's why it's called a subjunctive mood the indicative of the one that leads up to it up to the that clause is what takes the tense so they're more common indicative verbs are suggested recommend ask insist demand command order wish proposed and urge we can also use the nouns advice and advice okay okay let's look at some examples the doctor advised that Jim be brought to hospital right away advises your indicative past tense the doctor advised last week that Jim be brought to hospital now here we have a passive be brought by his family to hospital notice that the B is not is be brought not is brought the B doesn't take any tense it always remains the base the doctor advised that Jim go to hospital go not goes okay to say that the doctor advised that Jim goes to hospital is incorrect and if you use this in your essays you actually are hurting your score not helping your score the doctor advised that Jim not go to hospital so notice with the negative I don't add the helping verb do I don't say the doctor advised that Jim do not go to hospital or does not go to hospital we should keep the base verb we just add the negative adverb to it okay be verb be go go not goes be not is the doctor is advice now I'm using the noun is that and now we have the bad cause Jim B brought the hospital and everything is the same way notice that in all of these I can take out that the doctor advised Jim be brought to hospital right away if you want to use it use it if you don't want to use it don't use it when you're doing reading you need to recognize the noun clause the that cause even if that is not included you must recognize the structure and know what's going on for those of you taking the GMAT or SAT they're going to ask you questions in the grammar section to test your knowledge of the subjunctive make sure you can recognize this structure okay the same applies if we're using a an adjective but the beginning is very important always it is it is plus adjective plus now the noun clause with that clause in the main the more common adjectives vital essential important crucial imperative necessary best desirable urgent recommended a good idea bad idea it is important that all members fill out a form so now you think in all members plural fill no problem it is important that each member fill out a form doesn't matter if I plural or singular the fill the subjunctive mood verb does not change it remains base it does not take a time it was important that each member fill out a form B is can change tense okay it was it will be that first verb can change test tense the subjunctive cannot in the same with B it is important that each member be on time not is on time okay so that is basically the structures that you need to those are the structures you need to remember it is important now if you're in if you're writing with a British ah touch to it I guess you could say the British like to add the words should it is important that each member should fill out a form the doctor advised that Jim should go to hospital so this is more common in British style of writing they add the shirt the meaning is the same the shirt is part of the subjunctive when it comes to the British style of the subjunctive okay don't think about it as advice just think about it as part of the subjunctive this should goes with the base verb 9 neither of them takes any tense ok let's move on to fixed phrases okay so we have a few we have a few fixed expressions when it comes to the subjunctive so be it so be it means that's how it's going to be notice the B is always be never is was we're will be if that's how it has to be so be it if this is how the situation must be then that's how it will be so be it the situation it and that are the same thing or it and it is the same thing sign as it were when we say as it words basically like in a manner of speaking so in a way so to speak in a manner of speaking Linda you don't look well let me take you to bed as it were so when you say to somebody let me take you to bed they might have a different idea of what you're saying when you're saying it let me take you to bed means let me put you in bed so you can lie down and rest the as it were means I can't really think of any other way of saying let me put you in bed without suggesting something else more common in spoken English don't really use it in written English be that as if me so whether this is true or not what ever came before whether it is true or not we're going to continue so they claim innocence be that as it may we will have to begin an investigation again a little bit more common in spoken English but you can use it in written English as well maybe that's true maybe it's not but we're going to do something anyway we're gonna have to begin an investigation if need be so again the needs never need ok never need it always need that your subjunctive verb if it is necessary so provincial politicians must act if need be so if it is necessary to the government is willing to subsidize the costs ok so for fixed expressions if need be can be used in writing could be used in spoken English both are okay so now let's say you're writing for the aisle to the TOEFL and you have some more serious and more formal writing to do so here a couple examples I have like three or four examples to show you how to implement or to include these types of subjunctive expressions school so this is an essay about what schools can do to fight obesity among youths or children school boards have the power to change this situation this situation obesity among young kids were they for example to mandate that every school employ a nutritionist to oversee cafeteria offerings as well as conduct healthy eating workshops this could easily change the reality on the ground and going forward so were they to mandate that every school employee every school employee not employees and were they so if they were to mandate so again this is just a hypothetical I'm not saying that this is a real situation because it's an essay I'm giving an opinion it's a hypothetical it's an imaginary situation because right now it's just not real now you can also say for example were they to mandate you can change the order I put it in the middle just to show you a little bit of different approach in the next one we're talking about what governments can do to fight climate change or fight pollution many politicians are lowed to fight climate change because they fear they will be blamed for the high costs of doing this and lose their next election battle this is why it is crucial that the electorate be supportive of these initiatives so politicians are loathe to fight means they're very unwilling they don't want to fight climate change because it's very expensive that's why it is very crucial it's very important that the electorate the people who vote be supportive not are or is supportive be because you have it is now you don't have to begin the sentence with it is important it is crucial it could be anywhere in the sentence you're starting a new clause with it make sure that you have the adjective the one I showed you before the indicative that and then the electorate now this is why it is crucial the electorate be be careful sometimes you will read this and you will not see that okay but you should still recognize it is adjectives and then be in the subjunctive voice a couple more three more there are those who have not yet realized that wishing one we're successful is not going to make one so it is only through hard work and dedication that a person finds success wishing one were successful the wishing can take different forms but wishing one were wishing I were I wish I were same idea in my opinion I'm giving a thesis statement in my opinion schools ought to insist okay so I have the verb insist that my clause every instructor take additional courses throughout his or her tenure in order to keep up with the latest trends in pedagogy insist take not take even though it's every instructor tenure time as a teacher pedagogy teaching methodology but it is imperative that decisions of this nature not be left not not is not be or do not be not be left I have a passive negative not be left the bee does not change regardless of what time it is what situate an active/passive subjunctive always be always based especially in passive okay I hope this was a little bit clearer and a little bit helpful try practicing the subjunctive mood before you actually put it into your official tests si not easy but as long as you can recognize the structure and use it your scores should go higher in the SA if you have any questions about this don't be shy ask me Facebook Twitter Instagram we're down here below in YouTube like my video if you liked it and don't forget to subscribe to my channel more grammar writing test tips all that good stuff coming soon I'll see you again next time bye bye

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Keywords: ielts, English writing, English, writing, language test, English test, task 2, IELTS academic essay, scoring, grammar, writetotop.com, TOEFL, independent task, independent essay, how to write, essay writing, tenses, skills, sentence structure, test preparation, test tips, study tips, pass the IELTS, ielts high score, toefl high score, pass toefl, Engvid Teacher Adam, lexical range, language skills, how to write an essay, subjunctive, GMAT, GRE, SAT, usage

Id: BdmBd0NuoqM

Length: 16min 15sec (975 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 03 2017