the English Subjunctive (a grammar video)

hi everybody and welcome back to english practice it is a rare it is a rare gift to see or to hear an English subjunctive it does hardly exist anymore but it does exist and it is important of course and this is why we made this tutorial let me walk you through a couple of examples ladies and gentlemen it is necessary that you be here on time I'll let me read this again it is necessary that you be here on time is this a correct English sentence ah that was a rhetorical question because of course it is this B here is the subjunctive and this is a correct English sentence and it does sound like it's against everything your English teachers have spent years and years to teach you it is necessary that you be here on time the B is correct here my dad suggested that I buy a car my dad suggested that I buy a car now in this case the I buy it is a subjunctive but we don't hear that it's a subjunctive because we use in the present tense we use I buy anyway but it still is a subjunctive it would be my dad suggested that he buy a car would also be correct they demanded that he apologize they demanded that he apologize apologize here is a subjunctive you can use it you don't have to this that's the important point I guess but you can say they demanded that he apologize you can say she insisted that he be present she insisted that he be present and another example is I recommend that he leave now I recommend that he leave now this is also an all the forms that I've marked here in orange and highlighted are the so called subjunctive it's easier it's easy actually to build the subjunctive you see it's just the it's just the basic form without the two and you want to be careful you don't need subjunctive of chorus but you can you feel free in these cases actually to have it let's have a closer look and let let me tell you when you can use it now this is a sentence it is important that you be here on time now first of all I have to tell you that the subjunctive sounds very very formal it it is actually the Americans actually use it more than the British but it still sounds very formal you want to be very careful please don't overuse it okay so it expresses that something should be done or that somebody should do something it is important that you be here on time you should be here on time this is the idea this is what the subjunctive expresses that some but something should be done or somebody should do something it should only be used in subordinate clauses after that we will actually find towards the end of this video clip that there are a couple of exceptions and but use it only in sub ordinate clauses after that it is important is your main clause that introduces your subordinate clause and here you can use the subjunctive and you need special verbs in the main clause you cannot use the subjunctive in any subordinate clause that starts with that that doesn't work you need special verbs in the main clause and this is where we continue let me show you so the subjunctive can be used after verbs like to insist that to propose that to demand that to suggest that to recommend that and so on there's a whole list and they all if if you look closely they all express some kind of somebody should do that I insist that he do that he should do that so the Americans demand that the soldiers be brought home the soldiers should be brought home by the government for example so there's again this the idea should in it and it's expressed in that they demand the Americans demand that the Saudi soldiers be brought home she she insisted that he not be present to insist when you insist on something you want somebody to do something or not to do it for of course she insisted that he not be present so in your main class you need some kind of construction that expresses should and then you need the that so insist that propose that demand that and so on now there's also a couple of adjectives you can use and they also express some kind of should it is essential that it is important that it is vital that it is crucial that and so on again there's a whole list it is important that everyone help everyone should help it is important that everyone help or it is necessary that he tried to study he should try to study it is necessary that he try to study and please see that the that is always there and another example it is imperative that she'd take enough water on the hike it is imperative that she take enough water on the hike maybe she's going down the Grand Canyon in August or in July so it is imperative that she take enough water on the hike she should take enough water on the hike in in that little rule here I put down it can be used it doesn't have to of course it is imperative that she takes enough water on the hike is just as good and is not a problem but you can use the subjunctive here it is imperative that you take enough water on the hike after adjectives that express some kind of should like it is essential it is important it is vital and so on let's continue with a couple of examples they requested that he come to the meeting or you can even leave out that that they requested he come to the meeting you can use the subjunctive here you don't have to they requested expresses idea of should and this is why you can actually use the subjunctive here and you can actually also see that they requested that I come to the meeting does not sound strange at all because it's I come anyway but normally it is he comes and this is why for the third person singular it sounds so funny and of course for it to be they requested he come to the meeting it is important that he remember to see a doctor man nobody has a problem with it is important that you remember to see a doctor and nobody has a problem with it is important that he remembers to see a doctor but it is important that he remember to see a doctor that sounds strange but it is correct I recommend that you not take the job I recommend you not take the job you can use the subjunctive here and I wish it were summer wow that is beautiful isn't it I wish it were summer and this were here it were it actually doesn't go together at all does it so were is the only existing form in the English language that expresses a past subjunctive I wish it were a summer that's beautiful English and there's the subjunctive in a couple of common expressions I told you at the beginning of the video use it in a subordinate clause after that and there's a couple of exceptions a couple of common expressions where the English actually have a subjunctive and I doubt a lot of English people even know this remember the the English national anthem god save the queen why is it god save the queen why is it not God saves the Queen well because safe here is a subjunctive god save the queen I wish we wish that god save the queen' God should save the queen that's a subjunctive that's beautiful thy will be done in the English Paternoster our Father thou art in heaven remember thy will be done as B here is a subjunctive there is a subjunctive in that expression and maybe you use this in your written work if need be if need be the B here is a subjunctive suffice it to say it's also something my students would use in their in their comments and compositions and in their text production suffice it to say subjunctive and there's a couple of more but ladies and gentlemen really this is enough so you can use the subjunctive but you don't have to so be careful with it use it but don't overuse it that's it ladies and gentlemen thanks for watching I see you around when we bring our next video and until then we say bye bye have a good time

Channel: BildungInteraktiv

Views: 31,966

Rating: 4.8934913 out of 5

Keywords: grammar, Grammatik, Englisch, English, Bildunginteraktiv, subjunctive, Konjunktiv, English Subjunctive, Subjunctive Mood, demand, vital, crucial, imperative

Id: Rf9LhIDjKDw

Length: 9min 45sec (585 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 07 2015