subjunctives

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.

Verbs Followed by the Subjunctive
The Subjunctive is used after the following verbs:

to advise (that)
to ask (that)
to command (that)
to demand (that)
to desire (that)
to insist (that)
to propose (that)
to recommend (that)
to request (that)
to suggest (that)
to urge (that)

Examples:

•Dr. Smith asked that Mark submit his research paper before the end of the month.
•Donna requested Frank come to the party.
•The teacher insists that her students be on time.
Expressions Followed by the Subjunctive
The Subjunctive is used after the following expressions:

It is best (that)
It is crucial (that)
It is desirable (that)
It is essential (that)
It is imperative (that)
It is important (that)
It is recommended (that)
It is urgent (that)
It is vital (that)
It is a good idea (that)
It is a bad idea (that)

Examples:

•It is crucial that you be there before Tom arrives.
•It is important she attend the meeting.
•It is recommended that he take a gallon of water with him if he wants to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

websites to study subjunctives;

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-subjunctive_quiz.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/subjunctive_quiz.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/subjunctiveexercise.htm