(L.8.3.b) The Scroll of Verb Mood

The ability to use verbs in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).

The Scroll of Verb Mood

L.8.3.b50xp

The indicative (indicating a state of factuality and reality): "A cat sits on the stove." Most sentences in English are in the indicative mood. It simply states a fact of some sort, or describes what happens, or gives details about reality.

The imperative (indicating a state of command): "Give me back my money." One marker of the imperative is that frequently the subject does not appear in the sentence, but is only implied: "(You) Give me back my money."

The interrogative (indicating a state of questioning): "Will you leave me alone now?" One marker of the interrogative is that frequently the speaker inverts the subject-verb order by placing the helping verb first, before the subject: "Will you leave me alone?" instead of "You will leave me alone." Frequently the interrogative appears with requests for a course of action or requests for information.

The conditional (indicating a conditional state that will cause something else to happen): "The bomb might explode if I jiggle that switch." Also, "The bomb could explode if you jiggle that switch." The conditional is marked by the words might, could, and would.

Verb tenses in the subjunctive mood are used in special kinds of statements. The most common use of the subjunctive mood is in contrary‐to‐fact or hypothetical statements. In your own writing, you must decide which statements should be in the subjunctive mood. If something is likely to happen, use the indicative. If something is hypothetical, or contrary to fact, use the subjunctive.Present tense subjunctive:If I were king, you would be queen. (In the subjunctive, were is used for all persons.)If he worked, he could earn high wages.Past tense subjunctive:If I had been king, you would have been queen.If he had worked, he could have earned high wages.These contrary‐to‐fact statements have two clauses: the if clause and the consequences clause. The forms of the verbs in these clauses are different from those of verbs used in the indicative mood.

Indicative

Imperative

Interrogative

Conditional

Subjunctive