What Kind of Mood Are You In?
In addition to tenses, English verbs are divided into moods, which show the writer's attitude toward what he or she is saying. The first two moods, indicative and imperative, aren't confusing at all, and, fortunately, they're used far more frequently than the third mood, subjunctive.
Almost all verbs are used in the indicative mood, which means that the verb's sentence states a fact or an actuality. All of these sentences are in the indicative mood:
Verbs used in the imperative mood are in sentences that make requests or give a command. All of these sentences are in the imperative mood:
The subjunctive mood is the one that speakers and writers sometimes have problems with. Fortunately, it's used with only two verbs (
|
The following are verb forms used in the subjunctive mood:
Singular |
Plural |
(if) I be |
(if) we be |
(if) you be |
(if) you be |
(if) he/she/it be |
(if)they be |
Singular |
Plural |
(if) I were |
(if) we were |
(if) you were |
(if) you were |
(if) he/she/it were |
(if) they were |
Here is an example:
This is a wish or request — a strong request, at that.
After you've studied the forms of subjunctive mood, try the interactive quizzes at these Web sites:
