Should the subjunctive mood be used here?

Question

Here are a couple of sentences that I've heard on the TV. I wonder whether correct grammar would require that the subjunctive mood be used instead.
"I wish there was something I could do to help."
"I wish there was another way."

If I understand the subjunctive correctly, these sentences should instead be expressed as
"I wish there WERE something I could do to help." and

"I wish there WERE another way."

According to my observations it seems to be quite common to omit the subjunctive in similar situations. But on the other hand the same actors use the subjunctive in other kinds of situations like:
"If I were you"
and
"He insisted we learn some basic survival skills"

I'm a bit confused. Is it customary to omit the subjunctive in certain situations or do I have the whole concept of the subjunctive backwards?

Thank you for the answers in advance.

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

Mr. WookieeIf I understand the subjunctive correctly, these sentences should instead be expressed as
"I wish there WERE something I could do to help." and
"I wish there WERE another way."

Formally, yes, but the use of "was" is common and widely accepted.

Mr. WookieeAccording to my observations it seems to be quite common to omit the subjunctive in similar situations. But on the other hand the same actors use the subjunctive in other kinds of situations like:
"If I were you"
and
"He insisted we learn some basic survival skills"

In the latter case the subjunctive is the same as the indicative, so "He insisted he/she learn..." might be a better example.

Mr. WookieeI'm a bit confused. Is it customary to omit the subjunctive in certain situations or do I have the whole concept of the subjunctive backwards?

Many native English speakers (and sometimes I include myself in that number) are unsure about the use of the subjunctive and do not use it consistently. In fact, most ordinary native English speakers would not even know what the term "subjunctive" meant. For this reason you will often hear the indicative used in places where a grammar textbook would say that the subjunctive is formally required. In some common phrases and set expressions, such as "If I were you", the subjunctive is probably more widely used because people learn the phrase by rote rather than having to specifically understand and apply "when should I use the subjunctive?" rules.

BillJ · Answer

The simple answer is that it's entirely up to you which form you use - neither is more correct than the other. The subjunctive mood is a rather formal alternative to the indicative mood. So, the choice of "I wish there was..." vs. "I wish there were..." is simply a matter of style level, the latter being more formal. That's all.

BillJ

Mr. Wookiee · Answer

Thanks for the answers.
So in other words, in informal conversations it might be a good idea to use the indicative mood in similar situations as mentioned above to avoid sounding too formal and stilted?

BillJ · Answer

I agree with that, but don't fret too much about it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a little formal at times - I usually say "If I were you" rather than "If I was you", even in informal situations. Most native speakers won't criticise you, whichever form you use.

BillJ

Should the subjunctive mood be used here?

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