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Q: Is the italicised verb form correct in this sentence?

Jane's pale face suggested she could be ill: her parents suggested that she have a medical examination.

A: The sentence is grammatically correct. The subjunctive remains in force even though it is likely the patient will follow the doctor's advice. To actualize the blood test with "has" would be telling an untruth. The subjunctive holds the notion of a suggestion in place. Thus does grammar make its own modest contribution to truthful speaking.

I don't see how this sentence can be grammatical. Please could you offer any comments.

tchrist
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Akurain
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    Yes, it sounds grammatical to me. The subjunctive doesn't really have anything to do with truthful speaking. – herisson May 31 '15 at 05:11
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    I’m not too fond of that sentence. I think *might* fits much better than *should. The use of should* makes it seem like if she were to choose to become ill it might help her pale faced condition. But it’s definitely grammatical. – Jim May 31 '15 at 05:21
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    Formally, the comma in the first sentence should probably be a semicolon. The "answer" simply seems to be wrong. – keshlam May 31 '15 at 05:23
  • her parents suggested that she"have" a medics examination. <== Are you asking about the subjunctive mandative construction? – F.E. May 31 '15 at 05:56
  • Many people (especially in the UK) would use 'should have' rather than 'have' here. Some would use 'had'. ACGEL and G Pullum (of CGEL fame) both say that none of the three variants should be labelled 'ungrammatical'. – Edwin Ashworth May 31 '15 at 07:46
  • Well in mandative subjunctive, it sound more logical to word it this way. Her parents suggested that she go and have a medical examination. I don't know why it just seem like something is missing. – Akurain May 31 '15 at 12:51
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    It's grammatically correct, for sure. It's just the subjunctive. Maybe it's the omitted "done" or "performed"--as in "have a medical examination [done]/[performed]"--that's bothering you? I agree that the sentence sounds a bit awkward, as if her parents are offering her a medical examination in the same way they might recommend she "have" something she can hold or take, for example, "her parents suggested she have a glass of milk and go straight to bed." But it's grammatical, nonetheless. – Marc Jun 01 '15 at 03:25

1 Answers1

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Subjunctive uses the un-conjugated (bare infinitive) verb form—have.

This has nothing to do with person, number or relative likelihood.

Brian Hitchcock
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  • Were I feeling so inclined, I might contest the notion that the subjunctive must use the bare infinitive form of a verb. – scottb Oct 13 '15 at 20:59