The present-tense subjunctive comes up most in the form of commands and statements of necessity. “It’s crucial he be here on time.” “I insist that he be here on time. ...

After a full-dress review of the subjunctive in the preceding chapters, this form of the English language should no longer hold any terrors for us. With a clearer understanding of its uses and ...

The reason is verbs in the singular third-person subjunctive ignore the subject-verb agreement rule. They drop the "-s" or "-es" at their tail ends and take the base form of the verb (the verb's ...

One of my favorite things about the subjunctive is that people who know nothing about it — who've never even heard the term — use it with great skill all the time.

To live in the subjunctive is a manner of seeing the past not as a fixed story but as one that the present continuously acts upon. The present is what determines the past, not the other way around.

Some grammar purists seem to think the English subjunctive is a fragile creature in danger of extinction. As usual they can’t tell their adjective from their elbow, says Geoff Pullum.

The reason is verbs in the singular third-person subjunctive ignore the subject-verb agreement rule. They drop the "-s" or "-es" at their tail ends and take the base form of the verb (the verb's ...