Chapter We've all heard the term 'in a mood', but have you heard about 'grammatical mood'

Subjunctive Form

So how exactly do we recognise the subjunctive mood in a sentence? And how is the subjunctive formed?

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How do we recognise the subjunctive?

There are a few recognisable forms that characterise the subjunctive.

1/ The use of the bare form of the verb

We are able to recognise the subjunctive mood in a sentence by the use of the bare form of the verb. This means that the verb is not altered by verb endings (inflections), regardless of the tense, person, or number. For example, 'love', 'dance', and 'eat' are base forms of verbs as they are not altered by tense (e.g. 'danced'), the person (e.g. he 'dances'), or number.
An example of the bare form of a verb in a subjunctive sentence would be:
'I suggested that she join the party tomorrow.'
In this example, we see a sentence in the subjunctive mood. It expresses a suggestion and refers to something that has not yet happened. We therefore see the use of the bare form of the verb ‘join’ rather than the inflected verb ‘joins’.
You've probably heard of the common saying 'God bless you', but did you know that this is another example of the subjunctive mood? It refers to a wish, meaning 'may God bless you'.

2/ The use of 'were'

Another common saying in the subjunctive mood is 'if I were you'. We say this when we are referring to a hypothetical and conditional situation.
For example, if someone has offered you a soggy pizza you may offer a suggestion by saying 'I'd cook it for another 10 minutes if I were you'.
The use of the verb 'were' in place of 'was', i.e. saying 'if I were you' instead of 'if I was you', is characteristic of the subjunctive. We use 'were' regardless of the person, meaning that we would say 'if he were you', 'if we were you', 'if they were you', and so on.
When discussing hypothetic situations we use the past subjunctive. This means that the verb 'goes back' one place to the past form.
'I wish (present tense) I ran (past tense) quicker'.
'We wish (present tense) we had (past tense) a car'.
'Leo wishes (present tense) he were (past tense) rich and famous'.

2/ The use of 'be'

The subjunctive mood is also characterised by the use of the verb form 'be'. This is often used to give a demand or a suggestion.
'It is necessary that he be here at 12 tomorrow'.
'The boss has suggested that you be present at the meeting'.
In these examples, the verb 'to be' remains as 'be' e.g. 'he be here' rather than 'he is here'.

4/ The use of 'that', 'if', or 'wish'.

Finally, the use of the words 'that', 'if', or 'wish' are common in the subjunctive mood. They usually occur in phrases that express a wish, demand, suggestion, condition, or hypothetical situation.

• 
  'I wish I had a dog.'
  
• 
  'If I were you I'd buy a Dalmatian.'
  
• 
  'It is necessary that you walk it every day.'
  
• 
  'It is important that you feed it too.'
  

As you can see in the examples, the word 'if' is often used when expressing a hypothetical situation that is imaginary ('if I were you') or a condition ('if you don't'). The word 'that' is often used in suggestions ('it is important that') or obligations ('it is necessary that'). These are all examples of the subjunctive mood.
However, it is important to remember that this is not a consistent way of recognising the subjunctive mood. Whilst it is a good start for recognising the subjunctive mood, sentences in other grammatical moods may also contain the words 'that', 'if', or 'wish'.