The Subjunctive Mood

God save the Queen!

Long live the Queen!

These are one of the most popular exclamations where subjunctive is used. The form of the subjunctive is the same as the form of the infinitive,the reason why in the above examples the subject and the verb don't agree as they do in Present Simple.

The subjunctive is used to express a wish,hope,prayer or with certain verbs, adjectives or nouns introducing demand, resolution, proposal,intention,recommendation, supposition, suggestion. Verbs as decide, insist, order, prefer, request, recommend, suggest, propose adjectives - advisable, desirable, imperative, essential, important, appropriate, vital, strange, odd, natural, necessary and nouns - decision, decree, order, requirement, resolution, demand, ect.

• ex. It is essential that he take part in that particular public debate.
• ex. We were angry with the decision that we be introduced with some old Woody Allen jokes.

An alternative of the subjunctive is the use of should.Should may be omitted, thus remaining only be.

The were-subjunctive is used to introduce unreal or hypothetical statement.

• ex. I wish I were a bird. ( definitely unreal )
• ex. If he were rich, he would buy Picasso's "Girl Before a Mirror".

Along with wish, suppose can also be used with were-subjunctive as well as the conjunctions as if, as though, though.

The past subjunctive used with the expression it is time emphasizes the idea that it is a little late, it is high time.

• ex. It is time you asked her to live.