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The bare form after suggest, recommend, insist and demand: I suggest that he go.
Why you specifically
Mệnh đề giả định sau các động từ như suggest, recommend, insist, demand, require, và sau các tính từ như essential, important, necessary thường dùng cấu trúc that + chủ ngữ + động từ nguyên mẫu không to. Ví dụ: I suggest that he go. The teacher insisted that she be on time. Đây là kiểu câu trang trọng trong tiếng Anh viết và nói học thuật. Điểm dễ sai là thêm -s vào động từ với ngôi thứ ba số ít, ví dụ he goes, she arrives. Trong cấu trúc này, động từ phải ở dạng nguyên mẫu: he go, she arrive, it be. Cũng không dùng was/were theo nghĩa quá khứ như trong câu tường thuật thông thường. Quá khứ của động từ chính không làm đổi cấu trúc này. Ví dụ: She recommended that the report be revised. Không nói: the report was revised ở đây nếu ý là mệnh lệnh/đề nghị. Cần phân biệt với subjunctive were. Were dùng cho tình huống giả định, không có thật, hoặc trái với thực tế: If I were you, I would apologize. Còn mandative subjunctive dùng sau động từ/tính từ thể hiện yêu cầu, đề nghị, hoặc sự cần thiết: We insisted that he stay. Hai cấu trúc này đều có tính trang trọng, nhưng ý nghĩa khác nhau: một bên là giả định, một bên là yêu cầu/đề nghị.
The rule
The mandative subjunctive is used after verbs and expressions of demand, suggestion, recommendation, necessity, and importance, especially in formal English. The pattern is usually that + subject + base verb: I suggest that he go, We recommended that the report be revised, The teacher insisted that she be on time. The verb after that does not take -s, and it does not change to past form just because the main verb is in the past. This is different from the subjunctive were. With were, we use were for unreal or hypothetical situations: If I were you, I would study more. That form is about imagined or contrary-to-fact situations. The mandative subjunctive is about obligation, recommendation, or demand: I suggest that he go. Vietnamese learners often add -s after the third person or use was/were by mistake because Vietnamese does not mark this pattern in the same way.
Both correct
Every sentence here is correct English. Only the meaning changes.
If I were you, I would take the job.
Tình huống giả định, trái với thực tế hiện tại.
I suggest that you take the job.
Lời đề nghị hoặc yêu cầu trong mệnh đề that.
The trap
I suggest that he goes now.
I suggest that he go now.
After suggest, we often use mandative subjunctive in formal English: base verb form after that. In standard British and American English, he goes is not the same structure here.
The teacher insisted that she is on time.
The teacher insisted that she be on time.
After insist in this structure, the verb stays in the base form: be, not is/was.
We recommended that the report was revised.
We recommended that the report be revised.
After recommend, the mandative subjunctive uses the base verb form be, not was or is.
The committee demanded that he leaves immediately.
The committee demanded that he leave immediately.
After demand, the verb is in base form: leave. Adding -s is incorrect in this construction.
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