18- ] Grammar American & British
Verbs
: Mood
Verb moods are classifications that indicate the attitude of the
speaker. When considering mood in grammar, there are five basic types:
conditional, imperative, indicative, interrogative, and subjunctive. For
example, a sentence containing a request or a command (imperative) will carry a
different mood than a sentence that's expressing a wish, a doubt or a
hypothetical (subjunctive)
Mood is the form of the verb that shows the mode or manner in which
a thought is expressed. ... Indicative Mood: expresses an assertion, denial, or
question: Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas.
In grammar, mood is used to refer to a verb category or form which
indicates whether the verb expresses a fact (the indicative mood), a command
(the imperative mood), a question (the interrogative mood), a condition (the
conditional mood), or a wish or possibility (the subjunctive mood).
The indicative mood
The indicative mood, or evidential mood, is used for factual
statements and positive beliefs. It is the mood of reality. The indicative mood
is the most commonly used mood and is found in all languages. Example:
"Paul is eating an apple" or "John eats apples". All intentions
that a particular language does not categorize as another mood are classified
as indicative.
The form of a verb that is used to express statements of fact:
Whales are mammals, not fish.
We will visit Peru and Chile next year.
She liked Jack as soon as she met him.
They’re meeting us tomorrow morning.
The imperative mood
The imperative is used in commands and instructions. Imperatives in
the affirmative are formed with the infinitive of the verb (without to), while
negative imperatives are made with the infinitive together with do + not. The
imperative doesn't typically have a subject. It’s used to order or ask someone
to do something, to offer advice or encouragement, to give instructions, or to
make suggestions:
Take the first turn on the left.
Just keep calm and relax.
Be quiet!
Don’t forget your keys.
Have a great holiday.
The interrogative mood
This mood is used to ask questions. Interrogatives are formed by
adding an auxiliary verb to another verb, with the auxiliary verb typically
being placed before the subject:
Are you coming out tonight?
When is she leaving?
Where have they gone?
Did you make a profit?
The conditional mood
The conditional mood is made from the auxiliary verb would (also
should with I and we) and the infinitive of the other verb without to. It’s
used to make requests and to refer to situations which are uncertain or which
depend on something else happening or being the case:
I would like some coffee please.
If he’d arrived earlier, we would have had time for dinner.
We would live in Spain if we had the money.
The subjunctive mood
The subjunctive mood is used to express a wish or possibility. This
mood has a limited role in English compared to other languages such as French
or Italian, but it's important to use it properly in formal writing.
The subjunctive form of a verb (apart from to be) is made from the
3rd person present singular, without the -s (or -es) ending. With these verbs,
the same forms are used whether or not the context is the present or the past.
The subjunctive of to be is simply be in most cases, but were is
used in certain constructions with if and to express a wish (see below).
The subjunctive is typically found in rather formal English
constructions with that and with verbs such as suggest, demand, insist, ask,
recommend, etc.:
It was suggested that he wait till the next morning.
They demanded that the prime minister explain who authorized the
action.
The ordinary, indicative forms of the verbs in these examples would
be waits and explains but it would be grammatically incorrect to use them in
these cases:
✗ It was suggested that he waits till
the next morning.
✗ They demanded that the prime
minister explains who authorized the action.
Here are the other main uses of the subjunctive:
after if, as if, as though, and unless, in sentences that state a
hypothetical condition, or with the verb to wish:
If I were taller, I would have been a model.
I wish I were more confident.
be and were are used at the beginning of sentences or clauses when
the subject follows:
Were I to make a list of my favorite films, this would be in second
place.
All books, be they fiction or non-fiction, should provide
entertainment.
in certain fixed expressions, for example ‘be that as it may’,
‘come what may’, and ‘so be it’.
Exercises
A. Identifying the Mood of a Verb
Indicate the mood of each underlined verb by labeling it with IND
for indicative,
IMP for imperative, or SUBJ for subjunctive.
1.Call your parents when you will be late. ____________
2. Harry Truman became president after the death of Franklin
Delano Roosevelt. ____________
3. Take a moment to look over your term paper before you pass it
in. ____________
4. The Faculty Advisor urges that the meetings be over by 3:30.
____________
5. Did the aerobics class learn any new dances yesterday?
____________
6. If the school were larger, it could offer a wider variety of
classes. ____________
7. The ice-skating rink opened last year, and it is the largest in
the state. ____________
8. Please practice the new songs your clarinet instructor assigned
you. ____________
9. I wish that the caterer had made two chocolate cakes.
____________
B. Using Subjunctive Mood
Underline the correct form of each verb in parentheses
1. If you (was, were) to appear on a variety show, what skill would
you display?
2. My manager would demand that I (be, am) paid very well, whatever
I did.
3. What variety show (was, were) most popular around 1950?
4. Since shows were broadcast live, it was necessary that every act
(end, ends)
exactly on schedule.
5. How would you feel if the camera (was, were) turned off in the
middle of your act?
A. Changing the Mood of a Verb
On the line to the right, identify the mood of the underlined verb
by writing IND,
IMP, or SUBJ for indicative, imperative, or subjunctive. Then
rewrite the sentence
according to the directions in parentheses. Change verb tenses and
add or delete
words as needed.
1. Will you stop at the traffic lights? (Change to imperative
mood.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. My little sister thinks that her doll is alive. (Change to
subjunctive mood.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Mother asked that we mow the lawn. (Change to indicative mood.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. You will have sat here for one hour. (Change to imperative
mood.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Is this a magic carpet? If so, we could fly to an enchanted
island. (Change to subjunctive mood.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
6. The sign at the roller coaster says, “Stay in your seat till the
ride stops!” (Change to subjunctive mood.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
B.
Using the Correct Mood of a Verb
Underline the correct form of the verb. On the line to the right,
indicate which
mood you used. Write IND for indicative, IMP for imperative, or
SUBJ for
subjunctive mood.
1. When a reporter appears on television, he or she (wear, wears)
make-up.
2. If I (was, were) an actress, I would prefer to act on a
prime-time series rather
than a daytime series.
3. Please (teach, teaches) me how to use the sophisticated camera.
4. If Kyle (were, was) older, he could be a participant on our
favorite game show.
5. When a newscaster (make, makes) a mistake, is that speech
retaped?
6. “(Wait, Waits) in line if you want to be a member of the studio
audience,”
ordered the producer.
7. I (was, were) walking up the ramp when a reporter stopped me to
ask
questions.
8. The talk show host requested that the guests (be, are)
introduced to her before
the show began.
A.
Using the Correct Mood
Imagine that all the game shows on television joined forces and
held a competition
to choose contestants. To be invited onto a show, you must write a
short essay
explaining why you want to appear on that show and what you think you
would do
as a guest there. Write your application below. Include in your
passage at least two
verbs in the indicative mood, at least two in the imperative mood,
and at least two
in the subjunctive mood. After each verb, write IND, IMP, or SUBJ
in parentheses
to identify its mood.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
B. Proofreading
for Correct Mood
Below is an application for the contest described in Exercise A,
but it fails to follow the
directions completely, and it includes several errors in verb
moods. Revise the
passage to include verbs in the moods described in the above
directions, used
correctly. Write the correct verb above any incorrect verb.
If I was (IND) a contestant on the show “Leapfrog,” I would be the
quickest jumper to compete. You tell (IMP) me to hop and crawl down
the line
of contestants, and you will find me to be the best entertainment for
the
audience. I be practicing (SUBJ) the game of Leapfrog every day
since I was a
young child. In addition, I insist that no prizes are (IND) awarded
to me since I
will gain enough satisfaction from competing in my favorite game on
national
television. Were (SUBJ) the last winner you had as talented as I
am? No! I
think you should pick (IMP) me because it has always been my dream
to
amaze the audience with my leaping and crawling abilities.
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