Moods of the Verb

The indicative and imperative

The indicative and the imperative moods are easy to understand. You use the indicative mood in most statements and questions.

• He walks every day after lunch.

• Does he believe in the good effects of exercise?

You use the imperative in requests and commands. Imperative statements have an understood subject of you and therefore take second-person verbs.

• Sit down. ([ You] sit down.)

• Please take a number. ([ You] please take a number.)

The subjunctive

The tenses of the subjunctive mood are formed differently from the indicative tenses, and the subjunctive is used in special kinds of statements. Today, 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. If something is likely to happen, use the indicative. If something is purely 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.

Note that the subjunctive present tense is the same as the indicative past tense.

Not all clauses beginning with if are contrary to fact. When an if clause indicates something that is likely to happen, use the indicative not the subjunctive.

• If I study hard, I will pass the test.

• If his fever continues to fall, he will recover.