Subjunctive

The subjunctive is a special, relatively rare verb form in English.

Structure of the Subjunctive

The structure of the subjunctive is extremely simple. For all verbs except the
past tense of be, the subjunctive is the same as the bare infinitive (infinitive
without "to"):
be (past)

be (present)

all other verbs (past & present)

I were
you were
he, she, it were
we were
you were
they were

I be
you be
he, she, it be
we be
you be
they be

I work
you work
he, she, it work
we work
you work
they work

The subjunctive does not change according to person (I, you, he etc).

Use of the Subjunctive

We use subjunctives mainly when talking about events that are not certain to
happen. For example, we use the subjunctive when talking about events that
somebody:

wants to happen
hopes will happen

imagines happening

Look at these examples:

The President requests that you be present at the meeting.

It is vital that you be present at the meeting.

If you were at the meeting, the President would be happy.

The subjunctive is typically used after two structures:

the verbs: ask, command, demand, insist, propose, recommend,

request, suggest + that

the expressions: it is desirable, essential, important, necessary, vital

+ that

Here are some examples with the subjunctive:

The manager insists that the car park be locked at night.

The board of directors recommended that he join the company.

It is essential that we vote as soon as possible.

It was necessary that every student submit his essay by the weekend.

Notice that in these structures the subjunctive is always the same. It does not
matter whether the sentence is past or present. Look at these examples:

Present: The President requests that they stop the occupation.

Past: The President requested that they stop the occupation.

Present: It is essential that she be present.

Past: It was essential that she be present.

The use of the subjunctive as above is more common in American English than
in English, where should + infinitive is often used:
The manager insists that the car park should be locked at night.
It was essential that we should vote as soon as possible.
We usually use the subjunctive were instead of "was" after if (and other words
with similar meaning). Look at these sentences:

If I were you, I would ask her.

Suppose she were here. What would you say?

Why do we say "I were", "he were"?

We sometimes hear things like "if I were you, I would go" or "if he were here,
he would tell you". Normally, the past tense of the verb "to be" is: I was, he
was. But the if I were you structure does not use the past simple tense of the
verb "to be". It uses the past subjunctive of the verb "to be". In the following
examples, you can see that we often use the subjunctive form were instead of
"was" after:

if
as if

wish

suppose

Formal

Informal

(The were form is correct at all

times.)

(The was form is possible in informal,

familiar conversation.)

If I were younger, I would go.

If I was younger, I would go.

If he weren't so mean, he
would buy one for me.

If he wasn't so mean, he would buy one for

me.

I wish I weren't so slow!

I wish I wasn't so slow!

I wish it were longer.

I wish it was longer.

It's not as if I were ugly.

It's not as if I was ugly.

She acts as if she were Queen.

She acts as if she was Queen.

If I were you, I should tell her.

Note: We do not normally say "if I was you",

even in familiar conversation.

Some fixed expressions use the subjunctive. Here are some examples:

Long live the King!

God bless America!

Heaven forbid!

Be that as it may, he still wants to see her.

Come what may, I will never forget you.

We are all citizens of the world, as it were.

Causative

Causative verb menunjukkan bahwa seseorang/sesuatu secara tidak langsung bertanggung jawab
terhadap sebuah tindakan. Subjek tidak melakukan tindakan itu sendiri, tetapi justru menyebabkan
seseorang/sesuatu yang lain melakukannya. Contoh:
- Yesterday I had my hair cut.
Pembicara pada kalimat diatas tidak memotong sendiri rambutnya, tetapi justru membuat orang lain
melakukannya - Saya menyebabkan mereka memotong rambut saya.
Have
Have merupakan causative verb yang umum. Ketimbang melakukan sesuatu dengan diri kita sendiri,
kita menyuruh orang yang lain untuk melakukannya. Bentuknya sebagai berikut:
Kata kerja to have + objek + past participle (verb 3). Contoh:
- I had my jacket cleaned yesterday.
- Did you have your computer fixed?
Terkadang kita menggunakan have sebagai causative verb ketika kita ingin melakukan tindakan oleh
diri kita sendiri. Contoh:
- When will the report be ready? Ill do it by tomorrow morning. >>
- When will the report be ready? Ill have it done by tomorrow morning.
Dengan menggunakan causative, kalimat ke-dua diatas mengalihkan perhatian dari pelaku tindakan,
dan lebih memberikan perhatian kepada tindakan yang sedang dilakukan. Ini kedengaran sopan dan
profesional.
Get

Get sering digunakan ketimbang have. Contoh:

I got my computer fixed - I had my computer fixed. Kedua kalimat ini maknanya sama.
I got my jacket cleaned. - I had my jacket cleaned. Kedua kalimat ini maknanya sama.

Causative verbs sering digunakan bersama dengan pengalaman-pengalaman negatif. Pada situasi-

situasi ini lebih umum menggunakan have. Contoh:

I had my wallet stolen. (Saya sebenarnya tidak menyebabkan dompet saya dicuri - seseorang
mencuri dompet saya dariku)
She had her window smashed.
Let
Let digunakan untuk membolehkan seseorang melakukan sesuatu. Bentuknya adalah let + orang +

verb. Contoh:
John let me drive his new car.
Will your parents let you go to the party?
I dont know if my boss will let me take the day off.
Make
Make digunakan untuk memaksa seseorang melakukan sesuatu. Bentuknya adalah make + orang +

verb. Contoh:
My teacher made me apologize for what I had said.
Did somebody make you wear that ugly hat?
She made her children do their homework.