Learn English – Which is right? “require that it have” or “require it to have”

infinitivesmandativesubjunctives

Additionally, to achieve goals, the organization requires that it have hardworking leaders, people get motivated, attempts be organized, decisions be made, and operations be controlled and directed.

I am skeptical on how to use the verb "require" when I want to say that it is necessary for someone to do something. Should to+infinitive be used (e.g. this requires your to be strong) or bare infinitive (e.g. this requires that you be strong)?

I don't know what the underpinning grammar is, but I guess it sounds cool to use the latter form as it resembles an apparently more popular usage of recommend as in "I recommend you go home and wait until more is known of the issue."

Best Answer

There's something about this construction that is unintuitive, possibly the way that I initially parsed it. Syntactically, this works. The reason for it is that the verb phrases fork from requires. For instance:

Additionally, to achieve goals, the organisation requires that:

  • it have hardworking leaders;
  • people get motivated;
  • attempts be organised;
    ... etc

The subjunctive, as TRomano noted, is the form it uses. In answer to your question, you can use either form, though anecdotally the subjective is falling out of use. Some verbs are more felicitous with the subjunctive, though, as in your example:

  • I recommend you go home and wait until more is known of the issue
  • I recommend you to go home and (to) wait until more is known of the issue

However, require does not have this issue:

  • I require you to work hard.
  • I require that you work hard.

That is, you can use either.

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