The subjective uses the plain form of almost all verbs except the verb “be.” For example, “I propose you try warming the food in the microwave” uses the plain form of “try” in the subjective form. The verb “be” uses “be” for the present tense and “were” for the past tense. Examples include “The professor requires that we be on time” or “Mother wished we were home for Christmas.”
The subjective appears in the sentence as a subordinate clause. Some of the clauses may begin with “that,” as in “He recommended that we sit near the front of the room” or “I insist that you tell me the truth.” These clauses often follow verbs such as “suggest,” “request,” “propose,” “advise,” “insist” and “desire.” Additional common verbs that accompany a subordinate subjective clause include “demand,” “command,” “expect,” “urge” and “ask.”
A common subjective formation uses the words “if” and “then.” For example, “If you danced, then you could do that.” Here, the subjective verb follows an “if” clause and begins with “then,” although some sentences eliminate “then” as unnecessary. An example of this could read “If I were you, I would feel better.” The conditional verbs “would,” “could” and “should” may accompany the subjective mood, as in the previous example or “I thought she should come to dinner.”
The subjunctive clause verb may not match the tense of the verb in the main part of the sentence. For example, “I wish you were able to come” expresses the wish in present tense, but the past ability of the hearer. The subjective passive tense uses “be” with the plain verb, as in “I asked that he be admitted to the meeting.” The continual form of the subjective uses “be” with the “-ing” ending on the plain verb, such as “I ask that the group be waiting near the bus stop.” The negative subjective follows a positive statement, such as “He insisted that I not answer the phone.”