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Which is correct?It is important that she has/have dinner with you.It is important that she do/does as she be told.Thanks

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

AnonymousWould someone who knows what they are talking about answer?

There are so many people who say these one way or the other that there is little agreement in the English-speaking world about such grammatical patterns. Therefore, no matter who you consult, it may seem that they don't know what they're talking about.

American English is a bit more conservative in that it uses the subjunctive more than British English, so in the U.S., compared to in Britain, you would be more likely to hear

It is important that she have dinner with you.

though you can hear either version just about anywhere that English is spoken.

Likewise for the distribution of this pattern:

It is important that she do as she is told. (Never as she be told, neither in AmE nor BrE.)

CJ

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