Subjunctive Mood for Recommendations, Requirements, and Wishes

Most English verb choices describe facts or events. The subjunctive marks a different relationship: something desired, required, proposed, or contrary to reality. It often looks like an ordinary base verb, which is why questions may test it in a clause where a nearby subject seems to call for a different form.

Recommendations and requirements

After verbs such as recommend, suggest, insist, demand, request, and require, formal American English often uses a that-clause with the base form: “They recommended that he submit the form.” The form stays the same for singular and plural subjects: “I recommend that she be present” and “We recommend that they be present.” Do not add the third-person singular -s.

Adjectives of necessity

Expressions such as it is essential, important, necessary, or advisable can also introduce a subjunctive that-clause: “It is essential that each applicant provide identification.” The verb remains in its base form. In this construction, “provide” is not an error caused by a singular subject; it is the subjunctive.

Unreal and contrary-to-fact conditions

The subjunctive were commonly appears in formal unreal conditions: “If I were the director, I would revise the schedule.” It also appears in “I wish it were simpler.” In ordinary conversation, speakers sometimes use was, but test items may expect were when the condition is clearly hypothetical or contrary to fact.

Do not apply the rule mechanically

Not every that-clause after a reporting verb takes the subjunctive. “She said that the office is open” reports a claimed fact, so ordinary indicative forms apply. Some English varieties also use should or an ordinary indicative form in recommendation clauses. Use the sentence’s meaning and the test’s expected formal American usage.

Editing steps

1. Find the clause containing the verb under review.
2. Ask whether it reports a fact or expresses a proposal, demand, necessity, or unreal condition.
3. For a recommendation or requirement, use the base verb after the that-clause trigger.
4. For a clearly hypothetical condition with be, consider were.
5. Check that the surrounding clause still expresses the intended meaning.

Key takeaway

Recommendation clauses use the base verb (“that she be,” “that he submit”). Unreal conditions often use were (“if I were”). Let meaning, not subject-number matching alone, determine the form.

Use the mandative subjunctive after recommendations

In formal English, verbs such as recommend, request, insist, require, and suggest can introduce a clause expressing a demand or recommendation. The mandative subjunctive uses the base form of the verb: “The adviser recommended that he review the policy.” The verb review does not take an s, even though he is singular. The same form appears with every subject: “They recommended that the applicant review” and “that applicants review.”

This construction is different from reporting a fact or belief. In “The adviser suggested that he reviews the policy every year,” the clause may report what the adviser thinks he routinely does. In “The adviser suggested that he review the policy,” it recommends an action. Context and the verb’s intended sense determine which structure fits.

Recognize were in hypothetical statements

In formal hypothetical or contrary-to-fact statements, were is used with singular as well as plural subjects: “If I were the reviewer, I would request a clearer citation.” “If she were eligible, she could apply.” The sentence imagines a condition rather than stating that it is true. In everyday conversation, was is common with a singular subject in some hypothetical statements, but standardized editing questions often test the formal subjunctive were.

Were also appears in wishes about a present situation: “I wish the instructions were shorter.” For a wish about a past event, use a past-perfect form: “I wish I had checked the deadline.” The verb form signals that the condition is unreal, contrary to fact, or desired. Do not use were automatically just because a sentence contains if; a real condition normally uses an ordinary tense: “If she is eligible, she will apply.”

Keep the base form in negative and passive clauses

Negation does not change the subjunctive verb form: “The committee requested that the draft not include personal data.” In passive voice, use be plus a past participle: “The rule requires that every application be signed.” Avoid inserts such as is or should when the construction calls for the bare subjunctive form, unless the sentence is intentionally using a different grammatical pattern.

A practical edit is to identify the trigger, locate the following that-clause, and test whether it expresses a demand or a reported fact. If it is a demand, use the base verb. Then check whether the clause is negative or passive, since those forms often reveal whether the writer has added an unnecessary conjugated verb.

• After recommend, request, require, or insist, use the base form for a demand: “that she review.”
• Use were for a formal unreal present condition or wish.
• Use ordinary tense for a real condition: “If she is eligible, she will apply.”
• For passive subjunctive, use be plus the participle: “be signed.”
• Distinguish recommending an action from reporting a habitual fact.

Distinguish a real condition from an unreal one

Use an ordinary indicative form for a condition presented as possible or factual: “If the office is open, we will submit the form.” Use were in a formal unreal or hypothetical condition: “If the office were open, we would submit the form.” The verb choice changes the speaker’s view of whether the condition is true or likely, not just grammatical style.

In a recommendation, request, or requirement clause, use the base form: “The director asked that the forms be submitted today.” This differs from reporting a fact: “The director said the forms are submitted daily.” Identify whether the writer is directing an action or describing a routine before changing the verb.

Check the rule in context

In a formal recommendation clause, the subjunctive uses the base form of the verb for all subjects: “The committee recommends that he submit the form,” not “submits.” The same pattern appears after verbs such as demand, insist, and request when they express a proposed action. A contrary-to-fact condition often uses were: “If I were the principal…” Wishes about a present situation can also use were: “She wishes she were prepared.” Do not confuse this with a factual statement, where ordinary tense applies: “The committee recommends the candidate who submits the strongest application.” Identify whether the clause expresses a fact or a desired, required, or unreal condition.