Some grammar purists seem to think the English subjunctive is a fragile creature in danger of extinction. As usual they can’t tell their adjective from their elbow, says Geoff Pullum.

Grammatically, the subjunctive is a verb mood, not a verb tense. Most sentences use the indicative mood; the subjunctive in English has fairly restricted uses. Often, subjunctive forms don't look ...

That’s the grammar term that describes what’s going on here. The subjunctive is one of two “moods” in English grammar. The other is called the indicative.

Most English-speakers use “if he was” at least some of the time in sentences that call for the subjunctive, and some of them use it exclusively. How could this arise?

In my last column, I wrote about the importance of the subjunctive in Spanish and provided one way to help you understand it (TT,May 25). I suggested that you become aware that the subjunctive exists ...

What is important here is that understanding the existence of the subjunctive in English can help you get that all-important feel for the subjunctive in Spanish. In some cases, the present English ...

The British English alternative to the subjunctive—using “should”, as in It is essential that every parent should remain supportive —has declined on the islands as the subjunctive has ...

The subjunctive is the weird one — so weird that it can make you sound like a pirate: “If it’s true he be alive.” That’s because the English subjunctive is fading away.

The subjunctive mood isn't really a thing in the English language — we rely far more on the indicative, which normally points to what is or can be perceived. The subjunctive is different.

American Speech is concerned principally with the English language in the Western Hemisphere, although articles dealing with English in other parts of the world, the influence of other languages by or ...