Use the Subjunctive Mood of Verbs to Write Precisely and Elegantly

In 1964, Tevye, an impoverished milkman, first charmed Fiddler on the Roof audiences with his plaintive, "If I Were a Rich Man." Some four decades later, Gwen Stefani sang an updated version, "If I Was a Rich Girl." Now, let's drop the last word in each title. Who is right? Tevye, singing were, or Stefani singing was? Which one can teach you how to write with correct grammar and verbs?

I have found that several people have chosen Tevye's verb (correctly), but they have not been able to give me a grammatical rule for their decision. In fact, many times, if we trust our ears, we can figure out how to write English, if we do not stop to think about what we are writing.

In these songs, the singers image being rich, although they are not, and so, they need to sing were. Why? Singing (or writing or speaking) about a condition contrary to fact takes a special form (or mood) of the verb called the subjunctive.

Although the subjunctive is on the fringes of English these days, it can still affect the meaning of a sentence. Consider, "If I am wrong, I will pay the damages" and "If I were wrong, I would pay the damages." In the first, I am leaving myself open to the possibility of being wrong and of paying the damages. In the second, using the subjunctive form, I am stating (at least my belief) that I am not wrong, and I shall not be paying damages.

I had legendary English teachers, earned two degrees in English, and became at least a notorious English teacher, but I never heard (or spoke) the word subjunctive in an English class, although I did hear (and say) quite a bit about verbs. As a student and teacher of Spanish, however, I had to deal with the subjunctive forms of verbs, because in Spanish, as in most languages, the subjunctive is alive and well. In English, although the subjunctive has become almost optional, you still need to know how to use the subjunctive to know how to write elegantly and precisely.

In Mexico, I have heard children in the street use the subjunctive without hesitation, while I ran the rules through my mind. It is easier to use the subjunctive in Spanish, because there are rules for its form and use, as there are rules for the form and use of the subjunctive in languages ranging from French and German to Romanian, Hungarian, and Arabic (and if you are interested in learning how to use the subjunctive in those languages, check the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjunctive).

The was/were use is, of course, for the past subjunctive, but we also have the present subjunctive. Consider the forms of verbs in the regular present tense (by the way, grammarians call the plain non-subjunctive form of the verb the indicative). There are only two forms of the present tense in English. For to study, those are (I, you, we, they) study and (everyone else, third person singular) studies. So, I study grammar, and you also study grammar, but she studies grammar.

The present subjunctive is even simpler: there is only one form. It is important that I study grammar, that you study grammar, and (believe it or not) that she study grammar. The basic (infinitive) form of the verb is the present subjunctive in all forms.

English-speaking teachers of Spanish explain that the subjunctive is W.E.I.R.D., because it is used to express a wish or an emotion, to make an impersonal expression or a request, or to express doubt.

In Spanish, "she studies" is "ella estudia." That is for just the plain old ordinary use of the verb to make a statement (the indicative). But, the subjunctive, used only in a subordinate clause, is "that she study" is "que ella estudie." In Spanish, all of these "weird" sentences would take the subjunctive, and once upon a time, the subjunctive would have been required in English as well.

Wish: I wish that she study. (Quiero que ella estudie.)

Emotion: I am sad that she study. (Estoy triste que ella estudie.)

Impersonal: It is necessary that she study. (Es necessario que ella estudie.)

Request: I request that she study. (Le pido que ella estudie.)

Doubt: I doubt that she study. (Dudo que ella estudie.)

Now, to write by ear, I would say only the request form sounds like good contemporary English. Such problems make English extremely difficult for people to learn as a second language. In French or Spanish, we can learn specific forms of the verb and specific occasions to use those forms.

The subjunctive is often used in prayer and other religious statements. Look at the difference between "God bless us" and "God blesses us." The first sentence, with the subjunctive, is a shortened form of "(I pray that) God (may) bless us." In the second sentence, with the indicative, "(I state as a fact that) God blesses us."

There are also a number of standard, conversational tags in which the subjunctive is heard. "If I were you..." but, obviously, I am not you! Others include: "Be that as it may," "Come what may," "Far be it from me," "If only I were going," and "Please let me be the winner."

The giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk" must have been an English teacher, perhaps a Spanish teacher, since he used the subjunctive correctly: "Be he alive, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread."

In the early years of the twentieth century, linguist H. W. Fowler judged the subjunctive to be "dying." It is a good old form that can add some grace and exactness to our writing, however, so I despair that the subjunctive be lost. Since there is a Facebook group "It is vital that the subjunctive mood be saved" (here), I hope that the subjunctive be with us and that it enhance our writing for a while longer.

You can find my other articles on the English language here.