We don’t use the subjunctive very much in contemporary English unless we wish to sound very formal. It doesn't show any marking for tense and can be used to refer to the events in the past, present and future.
With verbs (like suggest, recommend, insist, advise, demand, propose, require) and adjectives (like important, essential, imperative, crucial, vital, advisable, urgent, necessary), we often use should + infinitive instead of the subjunctive or we can use the normal tense form. The reporting verbs and adjectives above are normally followed by a that-clause in which that itself is often omitted.
When we do use them, we make a distinction between:
'It’s important that the lesson be funny' sounds too formal.
We would normally say: 'It’s important that the lesson should be funny.'
So, to summarise:
Subjunctive verb forms are rare in present-day English (although they were once much more common).
When we do use them, we make a distinction between:
- The Present Subjunctive &
- The Past Subjunctive
We use them in:
- reported speech: She insisted that she pay her own way.
- in very formal language, e.g. legal documents: We require that all receipts be submitted by...
- in poetry: I know not whether laws be right or whether laws be wrong.
The present subjunctive is the base form of the verb (the same as the infinitive without to), used where the s-form of the verb would occur normally.
Present Simple:
- She always pays on time.
Present Subjunctive and Present Simple:
- She insists that she pay for the drinks. (formal English )
- She insists that she pays for the drinks. (everyday English)
- She insists that she should pay for the drinks. (less formal)
The simple past tense:
is used as the subjunctive, to show hypothetical or 'unreal' conditions
- Timothy, it's time you got married.
- I wish I were (or was) home now.
- If only my grandfather were alive today.
Phrases:
- If you want to throw your life away, so be it!
- Bless you. (Which means: May God bless you.)
- Long live our gracious Queen.
- I'll take it all the way to the Supreme Court if need be.
[sources: My Grammar Lab , Longman Student Grammar, Advanced Language Practice, Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar]
