Verb Moods
Indicative, Imperative, Interrogative,
Conditional, Subjunctive
What is verb mood?
● Mood is the form of the verb that shows the mode or
manner in which a thought is expressed.
● It is meant to show the attitude of the writer or speaker.
● Mood differs from verb tense in this way:
○ Verb tense demonstrates time
■ Ex: I ate all of my dinner last night.
○ Verb mood indicates a state of being or reality
■ Ex. The dinner sits on the table.
Indicative Verb Mood
● Expresses an assertion or denial, it indicates a simple
statement of fact, which can be positive or negative.
○ Ex. I didn’t eat dinner last night.
○ Ex. Ostriches cannot fly.
Imperative Verb Mood
● Expresses command, prohibition, or advice
○ Ex. Be careful!
○ Ex. Don’t smoke in the building.
Interrogative Verb Mood
● A state of questioning, interrogating. Frequently appears
with a request for a course of action or requests of
information.
○ Ex. How many games did we win last season?
○ Ex. Will you leave me alone now?
Conditional Verb Mood
● Expresses an action or idea that is dependent upon a
condition.
○ Ex. If Darian had cleaned his room, he could have
played outside.
○ Ex. If you would eat fruits and vegetables, you would
be healthier.
Subjunctive Verb Mood
● Expresses a wish, a suggestion, or a doubt.
● Subjunctive mood makes use of helping verbs, such as: “should,”
“may,” and “were.”
○ Ex. If I were you, I would reconsider that decision.
○ Ex. I wish I were tall enough to ride that roller coaster.
Example of each mood:
Things to remember:
● If you change a verb’s mood, the tone of the sentence
containing it will be changed as well.
● The mood depends on the purpose of the sentence
● Verb mood is the attitude the verb conveys in a sentence.