THE SUBJUNCTIVE

If there were no God, there would be no atheists. Chesterton

If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you'll be right. Every morning I looked in the mirror and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I do today? Steve Jobs

(Remember) Live your day as though it were your last (day).

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The subjunctive

Important / desirable / essential / vital / imperative

These adjectives, when they are used to express similar ideas, are also followed by a that-clause with should + infinitive or with present, past or subjunctive form verbs:

• It is vitally important (that) you should take this medication night and morning.
  It is vitally important (that) you take this medication night and morning without fail.
  
• It was desirable (that) she should go to a school where Italian was taught.
  It was desirable (that) she go to a school where Italian was taught.
  It was desirable (that) she went to a school where Italian was taught.

In examples like these, you can avoid a that-clause, if you wish to, by using a for + object + infinitive construction, which sounds slightly less formal:

• It is important for you to take this medicine twice a day.
  It was considered desirable for her to attend a school where Italian was taught.

She suggested that he go to the cinema. vs  that he goes to the cinema.

I would definitely use goes instead of go. 

The infinitive is definitely required for this meaning; but the tensed form goes is also correct. However, it means something quite different -- it means she said that he attends the cinema regularly. 

She suggested that he go to the cinema. and She suggested that he goes to the cinema. are both correct, but they have different meanings.

Here's how she might suggest that he goes to the cinema:

ALICE: Where do you think he goes every Thursday evening?

JANE: Hmm ... well ... cinema tickets are cheap on Thursdays, and he loves movies. Maybe he goes to the cinema?

This is similar to She said that he goes to the cinema., but with less clarity or certainty.

Here's how she might suggest that he go to the cinema:

BOB: I want to go out and have some fun this evening. Do you have any suggestions?

JANE: Why don't you go to the cinema?

This is similar to She told him to go to the cinema. but with less force

 To me, as a native speaker of British English, She suggested that he go to the cinema. does not seem wrong (perhaps because I've seen and heard so much American English), but I might prefer to sayShe suggested that he should go to the cinema., which has the same meaning, but does not use the subjunctive.

Note that after some words, both indicative and subjunctive are possible, with difference in meaning:

• I insist that he is here (indicative, a forceful assertion of the fact that he is here)
• I insist that he be here (subjunctive, a demand that the condition of his being here be fulfilled)

The subjunctive is becoming much less common in modern English. However, in the past, this structure was used to express ideas such as desirability and possibility. In modern English, we are more likely to express the same ideas using modal auxiliary verbs like would, should or must.
That said, subjunctive is still used in certain situations.
Examples are given below.

• I recommend that he consult a doctor immediately.
• The judge ordered that she be sent to prison.
• I feel that you write to him as soon as possible.
• It is important that Martin be present when we sign the papers.

Now here are the important points to note.
The subjunctive has no –s in the third person singular.

• He insisted that he get his due. (NOT He insisted that he gets his due.)

In modern English, we are more likely to express the same idea using should + infinitive.

• I recommend that he should consult a doctor immediately.
• The judge ordered that she should be sent to prison.
• I feel that you should write to him as soon as possible,
• He insisted that he should get his due.

Note that the forms I were, he/she/it were used after if is also a form of the subjunctive.

• I wish I were prettier.
• If I were you I wouldn’t let this happen.
• I wish it were Sunday.

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FORM

Use the simple form of the verb. The simple form is the infinitive without the "to." The simple form of the verb "to go" is "go." The Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses.

USE

The Subjunctive is used to emphasize urgency or importance. It is used after certain expressions.

• I suggest that he study.
• Is it essential that we be there?
• Don recommended that you join the committee.

NOTICE

The Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses. In the examples below, the Subjunctive is not noticeable in the you-form of the verb, but it is noticeable in the he-form of the verb. Examples:

• You try to study often. you-form of "try"
• It is important that you try to study often. Subjunctive form of "try" looks the same.

• He tries to study often. he-form of "try"
• It is important that he try to study often. Subjunctive form of "try" is noticeable here.

The present subjuntive

The form is called the present subjunctive because it resembles the present indicative in form, not because it need refer to the present time. In fact this form can equally well be used in sentences referring to past, future or hypothetical time (the time frame is normally expressed in the verb of the main clause).

I insist (that) he leave now.

We asked that it be done yesterday.

It might be desirable that you not publish the story.

I support the recommendation that they not be punished.

I braked in order that the car stay on the road.

That he appear in court is a necessary condition for his being granted bail.

Note that after some words, both indicative and subjunctive are possible, with difference in meaning:

• I insist that he is here (indicative, a forceful assertion of the fact that he is here)
• I insist that he be here (subjunctive, a demand that the condition of his being here be fulfilled)

This dual statement/directive use of verbs like insist, suggest and propose can lead to confusion in cases where some, mainly British, speakers informally use the indicative and not the subjunctive, strongly preferred by many, especially Americans. Examples:

They were insistent that he checked it out.
John insisted that she went home to rest.

Notice that the subjunctive is not generally used after verbs such as hope and expect, or after verbs that use a different syntax, such as want (it is not usual to say *I want that he wash up; the typical syntax is I want him to wash up).
Another use of the present subjunctive is in clauses with the conjunction lest, which generally express a potential adverse event:

• I am running faster lest she catch me (i.e. "in order that she not catch me")
• I was worried lest she catch me (i.e. "that she might catch me")

The present subjunctive is occasionally found in clauses expressing a condition, such as: If I be found guilty... (more common is am or should be. This usage is mostly old-fashioned or excessively formal, although it is found in some common fixed expressions such as "if need be". Perhaps somewhat more common is the use after whether in the sense of "no matter whether": Whether they be friend or foe, we shall give them shelter. In both of these uses it is possible to invert subject and verb and omit the conjunction; see Inversion below. Analogous uses are occasionally found after other conjunctions, such as unless (and possibly until), whoever, wherever, etc.: I shall not do it unless I be instructed;^[6] Whoever he be, he shall not go unpunished.
In most of the above examples a form with should can be used as an alternative: I insist that he should leave now etc. This is more common in British English than American English. In some cases, such as after in order that, another alternative is to use may or (especially with past reference) might:

• I am putting your dinner in the oven in order that it (may) keep warm.
• He wrote it in his diary in order that he (might) remember.

A present subjunctive verb form is sometimes found in a main clause, with the force of a wish or a third person imperative (and such forms can alternatively be analyzed as imperatives). This is most common nowadays in established phrases, such as (God) bless you, God save the Queen, heaven forbid, peace be with you, truth be told, so be it, suffice it to say, long live..., It can be found used more broadly in some archaic English.  An equivalent construction is that with may and subject-verb inversion: May God bless you; May the force be with you, etc.

Use of the past subjunctive

As already mentioned, the only distinct past subjunctive form in English (i.e. form that differs from the corresponding past indicative) is were, which differs when used with a first or third person singular subject (where the indicative form is was). As with the present subjunctive, the name past subjunctive refers to the form of the verb rather than its meaning; it does not have to (and in fact usually does not) refer to past time.
The main use of the past subjunctive form is in counterfactual if clauses (see English conditional sentences: Second conditional):

• If I were a badger, I would choose that color.
• He would let us know if he were planning to arrive late.

Note that the indicative form was can be used equally well in sentences of this type, but were is sometimes preferred especially in more formal English. According to the Random House College Dictionary, "Although the [were] subjunctive seems to be disappearing from the speech of many, its proper use is still a mark of the educated speaker."^[8] When were is used, an inverted form without if is possible (see Inversion below); this is not possible with was. A common expression involving were is if I were you.
The same principles of usage apply to the compound past subjunctive form were to..., which appears in 'second conditional' condition clauses, usually with hypothetical future reference:

• If she were/was to go... or Were she to go... (equivalent to if she went)

The past subjunctive form may be used similarly to express counterfactual conditions after suppose, as if, as though, unless, etc.

• Suppose that I were there now.
• She looks as though she were going to kill him.

There is also the set expression as it were.
The past subjunctive can also be used in some that clauses expressing a wish contrary to fact or unlikely to be fulfilled (see also Uses of English verb forms: Expressions of wish):

• I wish [that] he were here now.
• If only the door were unlocked.
• I would rather [that] she were released.

As above, was cannot be used instead of were in these examples except in "informal" English conversation. After it's (high) time... the use of the past subjunctive is occasionally found, but the present subjunctive is far more common. The example with would rather can also be cast in the present subjunctive, expressing greater confidence that the action is feasible: I would rather she be released.

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.

Negative, Continuous and Passive Forms of Subjunctive

The Subjunctive can be used in negative, continuous and passive forms.

Negative Examples:

• The boss insisted that Sam not be at the meeting.
• The company asked that employees not accept personal phone calls during business hours.
• I suggest that you not take the job without renegotiating the salary.

Passive Examples:

• Jake recommended that Susan be hired immediately.
• Christine demanded that I be allowed to take part in the negotiations.
• We suggested that you be admitted to the organization.

Continuous Examples:

• It is important that you be standing there when he gets off the plane.
• It is crucial that a car be waiting for the boss when the meeting is over.
• I propose that we all be waiting in Tim's apartment when he gets home.

Should as Subjunctive

After many of the above expressions, the word "should" is sometimes used to express the idea of subjunctiveness. This form is used more frequently in British English and is most common after the verbs "suggest," "recommend" and "insist."

Examples:

• The doctor recommended that she should see a specialist about the problem.
• Professor William suggested that Wilma should study harder for the final exam.

INTERESTING LINKERS
http://www.phrasemix.com/phrases/its-imperative-that-something-someonedo-something