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Three Moods In Verbs There are three moods in verbs used when writing to display the attitude of the writer regarding the subject he/she is writing. Not to be confused with the mood the writer is in when writing. The indicative mood is a common, straightforward sentence or question, easily comprehensible by the reader. •I am going to the store. •Do you like chocolate? •My dogs’ names are Miles and Zoe. •I enjoy baseball, football, and swimming. The imperative mood is the bossier mood, including direct orders, candid suggestions, and assertive statements. Imperative sentences omit subjects found in indicative sentences, and rely on the pronoun you to be the understood subject, or the second person subject. The only exception is the first person sentence, which includes an objective form as subject: let’s or let us. •Do not forget to wear a raincoat. •Pick up those toys please. •You must be polite! •Did I hear you talking? •Let’s get in the car now! The multi-task subjunctive mood is used in a dependent clause;
a group of words that contains both subject and verb, but does not express a complete thought. Therefore, a dependent clause cannot be a sentence.
Although it is not a popular mood in English, it is dominant in other languages such as French and Portuguese. Beginning a sentence with if when expressing a wish… •If Bobby were smarter Beginning a sentence with if when describing a circumstance that is not factual… •If Bobby worked all night, he would be a better accountant. Beginning or using as if when speculative… •As if Bobby worked all night. •Bobby acted haughtily as if he worked all night. Beginning a sentence with that when demanding, requesting or suggesting… •That is not the case in my books. It is important to understand the present and past forms of the subjunctive. The present tense subjunctive uses the verb base. •He recommended we be ready tomorrow. The past tense subjunctive is used like the indicative, except when using the verb to be. The subjunctive uses were regardless of the plural subject. •I wish I were a better student.
By Carolyn M. Dawson, ABP Editor
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