The subjunctive
If I were you: the formal verb form Year 6 learns to recognise, and where it turns up.
The answer
The subjunctive is a special verb form used in very formal writing, as in If I were you or I insist that he be on time.
Examples
If I were taller, I could reach the shelf.
Were, not was, for an imagined situation.
Were they to come, we would need more chairs.
The national curriculum’s own Year 6 example.
The rules demand that every player wear a helmet.
Wear, not wears.
It is vital that he be on time.
Be, not is.
How to spot it
- Look for were after I, he, she or it when something is imagined: if I were, if she were.
- After words such as insist, demand, suggest or require followed by that, the verb stays in its basic form: that he be, that she arrive.
- It sounds formal and a little old-fashioned. That is the clue.
The common mistake
Writing ‘If I was you’ when the formal form is wanted.
In everyday speech many people say if I was. In formal writing, and in questions about the subjunctive, the form is if I were.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 6
- On the pupil word list
- Not as a separate term
Year 6 compares informal structures with formal ones, including subjunctive forms such as If I were or Were they to come. Subjunctive is not on the pupil terminology list, but the KS2 test framework includes recognising subjunctive forms.
Try a question
Which sentence uses the subjunctive? Tick one.
- If I was rich, I would buy a boat.
- If I were rich, I would buy a boat.
- When I am rich, I will buy a boat.
- I was rich, so I bought a boat.
Show the answer
Answer: If I were rich, I would buy a boat.
Were after I, for something imagined, is the subjunctive.
Related terms
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Is ‘If I was’ wrong?
In casual speech it is very common. In formal writing, and in grammar questions about the subjunctive, use if I were.
Why is it ‘that he be’ and not ‘that he is’?
After words such as insist, demand or require followed by that, formal English uses the subjunctive, which is the verb’s basic form: The school requires that all pupils be honest.
Is the subjunctive tested?
Yes. The KS2 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test framework includes recognising subjunctive forms.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.