Moods and their use in practice

Mood

Mood is a grammatical category of the verb, which is used to express the speaker’s attitude towards the action expressed by the verb from the point of view of its reality. There are three moods in the English language: the indicative mood, the imperative mood and the oblique mood (which is also called the subjunctive mood).

The Indicative Mood is used to represent an action or state as a real fact and affirms or negates its existence in the present, past or future; it has two aspect forms (common and continuous) and two voice forms (active and passive):

Barbara lives in London.

Kazan was founded one thousand years ago.

Tomorrow at this hour we’ll be nearing the sea.

She has not finished her task yet.

It is also used to express a real condition, i.e. a condition the realization of which is considered possible:

If it rains, I shall stay at home.

If Catherine doesn’t listen to us, we shall disinherit her.

The Imperative Mood represents an action or state as desirable or undesirable and expresses a request or a command. The imperative mood has only one form for the second person singular and plural. It is performed by the basic form of the verb:

Hurry up!

Leave the door open!

The negative form of the verb in the imperative mood requires the auxiliary verb “do”:

Don’t go there!

Don’t be late!

The verb “do” can also be used emphatically:

Do let me go there!

Do be quiet!

The subject is rarely used in the sentences of such kind unless it is emphatic. This subject is usually expressed by the pronoun you, there are cases though when other pronouns are used. The feature is typical of colloquial speech; you must remember though that such commands may sound rude:

You better watch your step!

I’ll drive and you sleep awhile.

You sit here!

Everybody be cool, it’s a robbery!

With the first and the third person the combination “let + infinitive” is used to express a command or suggestion:

Let’s go!

Let them do it!

The corresponding negative is formed by “don’t” or “let’s not”:

Don’t let’s go there!

Let’s not go there!

The tag “will you” very often follows the imperative. In such sentences the order becomes modified into a kind of request:

Bring me the key, will you?

The Oblique Moods are used to represent an action or state as unreal, doubtful or desirable in the speaker’s mind. There are four oblique moods in Modern English to express different degrees of unreality or desirability, two of them are synthetic (i.e. they consist of one verb-form in the active or passive voice) and two are analytical (i.e. they consist of one notional and one auxiliary verb). The synthetic forms are subjunctive I and subjunctive II. The analytical forms are subjunctive III (or suppositional) and conditional moods.

The Subjunctive I represents an action as problematic but not unreal and can express wish, suggestion, request, etc. It has only one grammatical form, i.e. the infinitive, and refers the action to the present or future:

If the weather be fine tomorrow, we shall go to the country. (It is unlikely that the weather is going to be fine the next day but still I consider it quite possible.)

I insist that the decision be adopted today. (I find it very important to adopt the decision now and not tomorrow.)

The subjunctive I is rarely used in modern English, it is mainly found in poetry and in elevated prose. We also use it in scientific language and official documents. Together with it these forms occur in some set expressions (mainly oaths, curses and swearings):

So be it! – Да будет так!

God save us! – Спаси нас, Господи!

God damn you! – Черт бы тебя побрал!

Peace be to his ashes! – Мир праху его!

Suffice it to say that … – Достаточно сказать, что …

Far be it from me to … – У меня и в мыслях не было …

Come what may… – Будь что будет …

… if need be … – если возникнет необходимость …

Nowadays Subjunctive I is often replaced by the subjunctive III (or suppositional) mood, though not in American English where it occurs in colloquial speech as well.

The Subjunctive II represents an action as unreal. This mood form has two tenses: present and past. The subjunctive II present is homonymous with the forms of the past indicative with one exception only: we use the form were of the verb to be for all persons. This mood form shows that the action in the subordinate clause is simultaneous with the action in the principal clause:

If it were not so late, I should stay. (It is late and I can’t stay but still I make a suggestion.)

If she understood the rule, she would not make these mistakes. (She doesn’t understand the rule and as a result commits a lot of mistakes.)

He behaved as if he were drunk. (He wasn’t drunk but he behaved or looked like a drunk man.)

The subjunctive II past is homonymous with the forms of the past perfect indicative for all verbs:

I wish I had not mentioned it at all. (I mentioned it but the consequences showed that I shouldn’t have done it.)