While the English language lacks distinct inflections for mood, an English subjunctive is recognized in most grammars. Definition and scope of the concept vary widely across the literature, but it is generally associated with the description of something other than apparent reality. Traditionally, the term is applied loosely to cases in which one might expect a subjunctive form in related languages, especially Old English and Latin. This includes conditional clauses, wishes and reported speech. Modern descriptive grammars limit the term to cases in which some grammatical marking can be observed, nevertheless coming to varying definitions. In particular, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language narrows the definition further so that the usage of were, as in "I wish she were here", traditionally known as the "past subjunctive", is instead called irrealis. According to this narrow definition, the subjunctive is a grammatical construction recognizable by its use of the bare form of a verb in a finite clause that describes a non-actual scenario. For instance, "It's essential that he be here" uses the subjunctive mood while "It's essential that he is here" does not. Grammatical composition The English subjunctive is realized as a finite but tenseless clause. Subjunctive clauses use a bare or plain verb form, which lacks any inflection. For instance, a subjunctive clause would use the verb form "be" rather than "am/is/are" and "arrive" rather than "arrives", regardless of the person and number of the subject. (1) Subjunctive clauses: a. It's crucial that he be here by noon b. It's vital that he arrive on time English does not have a distinct subjunctive verb form, since the bare verb form is not exclusively subjunctive. It is also used in other constructions such as imperatives and infinitivals. (2) Imperative: a. Be here by noon! b. Arrive on time! For almost all verbs, the bare form is syncretic with the present tense form used in all persons except the third person singular. (3) Present Indicative: I always arrive on time. One exception to this generalization is the defective verb beware, which has no indicative form. Another is be, whose bare form is not syncretic with any of its indicative forms: (4) Present Indicative: a. I am… b. She is… c. You/we/they are… Finiteness Subjunctive clauses are considered finite since they have obligatory subjects, alternate with tensed forms, and are often introduced by the complementizer that. Triggering contexts Subjunctive clauses most commonly