subjunctive mood

Question

I am really stuck and need some help!I am using some material and the question is to choose the correct verb for the sentence which are in the subjunctive mood. OK, so the text book says the answer to these sentences are:"He demanded that the bridge BE destroyed" and"It is important that Lucy NOT BE disturbed as she is studying for her exams"my question is.....why are the answers "be" and "not be" instead of "is" and is not". Please can someone give me a clear and detailed explanation

GPY · Accepted Answer

See the first part of this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_subjunctive#Use_of_the_present_subjunctive

Anonymous · Answer

Hello, I am unable to open the link

Fivejedjon · Answer

Try again. I have just opened it without difficulty.

Anonymous · Answer

Yes, I have read it, but I don't really understand it.... why "be" and not "is"..... ?????

AlpheccaStars · Answer

AnonymousYes, I have read it, but I don't really understand it.... why "be" and not "is"..... ?????

English verbs have a quality called "mood." There are three moods: indicative, imperative and subjunctive.

Most sentences you read or say use the indicative mood.

The indicative mood is used to make factual statements, ask questions, or express opinions as if they were facts. Any verb tense may be deployed in the indicative mood.

The imperative mood shows an immediate command. (Go away!) The implied subject is "you".

The subjunctive mood is used for conditional and hypothetical statements, commands, suggestions or desires in the past or future. The subjunctive mood is much more common in Spanish and Portuguese than in English.

Here are some explanations:

https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/grammar_subjunctive.html

http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/subjunctive.html

The verb "be" has irregular subjunctive forms. Here is a chart on the subjunctive verb forms.
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-subjunctive-base.htm

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymouswhy are the answers "be" and "not be" instead of "is" and is not".

"is" is changed to "be" (subjunctive form of "is"), and "is not" is changed to "not be" (subjunctive form of "is not") when there is a subjunctive trigger in the previous clause. You need to know the subjunctive triggers in order to use these forms correctly. Some typical subjunctive triggers are demand, insist, suggest, recommend, important, crucial, and imperative, almost always followed by that.

He demanded that the bridge BE destroyed.
........ trigger ..................... subjunctive .....

It is important that Lucy NOT BE disturbed ...
...... trigger .................. subjunctive ..........

More examples:

I suggest that the meeting be postponed until tomorrow.
It is crucial that Ursula not be in the room while we plan the party for her.
Darlene insisted that the sofa be (placed) against the wall on the left side of the room.

CJ

Fivejedjon · Answer

Anonymous"He demanded that the bridge BE destroyed" and"It is important that Lucy NOT BE disturbed as she is studying for her exams"

I don't disagree with anything that others have said. I'll just note that many speaker of BrE would use 'was' or 'should be' in the first sentence and 'is not' in the second. These forms would not be penalised in public examinations.

subjunctive mood

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