Mekita Rivas, SNR communications associate, publishes a biweekly feature called "Grammar Guru."
Every other week, the Grammar Guru will share writing tips to help make your work as polished as possible. Some of these tips may address common spelling errors, while others will examine the many nuances of the English language.
Grammar Guru Tip #12
The Oxford Dictionary defines the subjunctive verb form as "relating to or denoting a mood of verbs expressing what is imagined or wished or possible." It's often used in cases where the speaker is expressing a desire or making reference to an event that might not actually happen.
In English, the subjunctive is most commonly used after "if" clauses that state or describe a hypothetical situation.
Example:
NOT: If I was in Hawaii, I'd surf all of the time.
BUT: If I were in Hawaii, I'd surf all of the time.
NOT: I wish I was more energized.
BUT: I wish I were more energized.
The subjunctive form was once commonly used in English, but over the course of hundreds of years, its usage has decreased. However, there are still some instances of it still in existence today beyond the "if" clauses. Read about those here: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/grammar_subjunctive.html.
Need some grammar guidance? The UNL Style Guide (http://unlcms.unl.edu/ucomm/styleguide/) is a great resource for all university employees. If you have writing questions that the style guide doesn't answer, feel free to email the Grammar Guru at mrivas@unl.edu.