Shifts in Mood
NEC FACET Center
Introduction
• Shifts in mood are often closely related to shifts in tense.
• Both involve verbs.
• We will begin this lesson by reviewing grammatical mood.
What is Grammatical Mood?
• The grammatical term mood has nothing to do with frame of mind.
• Instead, it is a variant of the word mode, meaning “manner or method.”
What does mood reveal?
• Grammatical mood indicates the manner in which the writer conceives of the sentence--that is, the writer’s idea whether the sentence states fact, expresses doubt, gives a command, or performs some other function.
How can we tell the “mood” of a sentence?
• The verb or verbs in each sentence indicate the mood in which the writer wrote the sentence.
The Three Moods
• English employs three traditionally recognized moods:– Indicative– Imperative– Subjunctive
Indicative
Indicative Mood
• Writers most frequently use indicative mood.
• Indicative sentences make statements of fact.
• Example: John will fly to Chicago today.
• Example: Although I can knit, I have never learned to sew.
Which of the following sentences is in indicative mood?
• Peace be with you.
• Leave that dog alone.
• Harold was late to his wedding.
Answer
• Harold was late to his wedding.
• This sentence makes a simple statement of fact.
• The other two sentences expressed a wish (peace be with you) or gave a command (Leave that dog alone).
• Since the majority of English sentences express fact, you should not find it difficult to recognize the indicative mood.
Indicative Mood & Verb Tenses
• The indicative mood employs common verb tenses:– Present: I see.– Past: I saw– Future: I will see.– Present Perfect: I have seen.– Past Perfect: I had seen.– Future Perfect: I shall (will) have seen.
• Most grammarians classify interrogative sentences, as well as statements of fact, as indicative.
• An interrogative sentence, as you know, asks a question.
• Example: Was Harold late to his wedding?
Which of the following sentences is in the indicative mood?
• Eat those beets immediately.
• Has he decided to start lifting weights?
• Heaven help you.
Answer
• Has he decided to start lifting weights?
• Remember that questions employ indicative mood, just as do those that state facts.
Imperative
• Writers use the imperative mood to give commands or to make requests.
• Example: Eat your beets. (command)
• Example: Please forgive me. (request)
The “Understood” You
• All imperative verbs are in the second person, present tense.
• Writers generally omit the subject, you, of an imperative verb, but writers understand it as part of the sentence.
Which of the following sentences is in the imperative mood?
• Step right this way.
• You should go home now.
• The general commanded his company to charge.
Answer
• Step right this way.
• This sentence makes a request.
• The subject, you, is understood, just as it is in most imperative sentences.
• The omission of you helps make imperative sentences easier to recognize.
Subjunctive
• The third of the three commonly recognized moods is the subjunctive.
What is subjunctive mood?
• The subjunctive mood expresses wishes and suppositions contrary to fact.
• Example: Peace be with you. (wish)
• He speaks French as if he were a Frenchman. (supposition contrary to fact)
• In the second sentence, the main clause—He speaks French—is in the indicative because it states a fact.
• The “as-if” clause uses the subjunctive because it expresses a condition contrary to fact: he is not really a Frenchman.
• When the dependent clause is subjunctive, the main clause is normally indicative.
• This shift is a logical and necessary one and not considered a faulty shift in mood.
Which of the following tests employs the subjunctive?
• Go and get me some cream and sugar.
• When she awoke, she could remember every detail of her dream.
• I wish I were a kid again.
Answer
• I wish I were a kid again.
• The dependent clause—(that) I were a kid again—expresses a wish and is in the subjunctive.
• The main clause—I wish—asserts a fact and is in the indicative.
• In our day-to-day language use, the indicative has, to a large extent, replaced the subjunctive.
• However, writers continue having difficulty with the subjunctive because its few surviving uses require special verb forms.
• You should have little difficulty with the subjunctive once you know the following few forms.
Rule # 1
• The third person singular (he, she, it) of the present tense verb drops its –s or –es ending.
Application of Rule #1
• Therefore, although we would normally write “she leaves,” the subjunctive that se drop the -s.
• Example: The old man asked that she leave him in peace.
Rule # 2
• The verb to be requires special treatment.
• In the subjunctive, the present tense is always be, not the normal am, is, or are.
• Example: Peace be with you. (Not “Peace is with you.”
Rule # 2, Continued: Past Tense of To Be
• Similarly, in the subjunctive, the past tense is always were, never was.
• Example: If I were a millionaire, I wouldn’t eat hamburger every night.
Advice
• The past subjunctive of to be—always were—is the subjunctive form people most frequently use and misuse.
• Therefore, you should pay particular attention to it.
Which of the following sentences employs the subjunctive correctly?
• He be a very interesting person.
• If he were not so lazy, he would go far.
• We would not be talking about her if she was here.
Answer
• If he were not so lazy, he would go far.
• The if-clause makes a supposition contrary to the fact: he apparently is “so lazy.”
• The verb uses the correct past tense subjunctive—were.
• We correctly use subjunctive forms in several main situations.
• The first two come naturally to native English-speakers.
Situations Requiring the Subjunctive
1. In a main clause expressing a wish:– God bless you. [not blesses]
2. In a that-clause expressing a request, a demand, a motion, or a formal resolution:
– The teacher demanded that he leave the room. [not leaves]
– Resolved: that this motion be tabled. [not is]
• Only two subjunctive uses are likely to cause you difficulty.
• The first appears as # 2 on the previous slide.
• If you wish to look back at it, press your keyboard’s “page up” key.
Rule # 3
3. In a that-clause expressing a wish– Example: He wishes that he were in India.
(not was)
Writers may often omit the that in sentences like the one above.
Rule # 4
Here is the other troublesome use:4. In an if-clause expressing a condition
contrary to fact that is impossible or highly improbable.
– Even if he were a millionaire, she still would not marry him.
Remember . . .
• The past tense of the verb to be is were, not was.
Caution
• Not all if-clauses require the subjunctive.
• You should use the indicative if the condition expressed by the if-clause is possible or probable.– The President stated that our forces would
retaliate if the island was bombed.
Reminder
• However, remember to use the subjunctive when the if-clause is clearly contrary to fact or purely hypothetical.
• If I were President, I would not employ our forces to defend the island.
• The person named as “I” is clearly not the President.
Which of the sentences below should employ the subjunctive?
• If he was our father, he’d have a right to tell us what to do.
• The traffic department decided that a motorist should be given a ticket if he was stopped for driving too slowly.
• If I was caught without bus fare, I would simply walk home.
Answer
• Only the sentence below states a supposition contrary to fact.
• If he was our father, he’d have a right to tell If he was our father, he’d have a right to tell us what to do.us what to do.
Revised Sentence
• The sentence should read as follows:The sentence should read as follows:
• If he were our father, he’d have a right to If he were our father, he’d have a right to tell us what to do.tell us what to do.
Further Explanation
• The remaining two sentences correctly used the indicative, rather than the subjunctive, because their if-clauses express possible or probable conditions.– The traffic department decided that a motorist should
be given a ticket if he was stopped for driving too slowly.
– If I was caught without bus fare, I would simply walk home.
• While the subjunctive is becoming increasingly uncommon in speech, in writing it still preserves the fine distinctions of meaning that make English a rich language.
• Places will always exist in your writing where you can and should use the subjunctive to good advantage.
Brief Review
• Indicative--used to state a fact or ask a question• Imperative--used to give a command or make a request (in a main
clause)• Subjunctive--used mainly to express wished and to make suppositions contrary to fact.
Question
• Which of the following sentences is written entirely in the indicative mood?– Get me a basin and some hot water.– Silently the captain was wishing to retreat, but
aloud he ordered his men to make ready for the attack.
– Mr. Billings would be thoroughly likeable if he were not always telling such bad jokes.
Answer
– Silently the captain was wishing to retreat, but aloud he ordered his men to make ready for the attack.
• Though it mentions a wish and an order, the second sentence states fact.
• It says nothing contrary to fact, nor does it give an order for the reader to do anything
• Therefore, it is indicative.
Shifts in Mood
Word of Advice
• Just as you should avoid needless shifts in subject, person, and tense, you should also avoid illogical shifts in mood.
A Correct Shift
• As you have learned, a sentence containing a subjunctive if-clause or that-clause correctly shifts to the indicative in its main clause.
• If I were you, I’d go on a diet.
(subjunctive) (indicative)
Faulty Shift
• However, faulty shifts in mood often involve the indicative and the imperative.– First, preheat the oven; then you should grease
the cake pan. (shift from imperative to indicative)
Possible Revisions
• All in the imperative: First, preheat the oven; then grease the cake pan.
• All in the indicative: You should first preheat the oven; then you should grease the cake pan.
Remember . . .
• Do not shift moods without reason.
Question: Which of the following sentences shifts mood without reason?
• She requested that he darken her door no more.
• Even though the air was warm, the water was too cold for swimming.
• All students should assemble on the main quadrangle at ten o’clock, and don’t be late.
Answer
• All students should assemble on the main quadrangle at six o’clock, and don’t be late.
• The first clause is in the indicative and the second in the imperative.
Possible Revisions
• All students should assemble on the main quadrangle promptly at six o’clock.
• All students should assemble on the main quadrangle at six o’clock; they must not be late.
Summary
• Grammatical mood indicates the manner in which the writer conceives of the sentence: that is, his idea as to whether the sentence states a fact, expresses a doubt, gives a command, or performs some other function.
• The verb or verbs in each sentence indicate the mood in which the sentence is written.
• When writing, we most frequently use the indicative.
• The indicative makes statements of fact.
• Examples: – John is going to Chicago.– Although I can knit, I never learned to sew.
More Indicative Sentences
• Most grammarians classify interrogative sentences, as well as statements of fact, as indicative.
• Example of an interrogative sentence:– Was Harold late to his wedding?
Imperative Mood
• The imperative mood gives commands or makes requests.
• Examples:– Eat your dinner.– Please forgive me.
The “Understood” You
• All imperative verbs are in the second person, present tense.
• The subject of an imperative verb—you—is usually omitted but is understood by the reader as part of the statement.
• Example: Shut the door = (You) shut the door.
Subjunctive Mood
• The subjunctive mood primarily expresses wishes and suppositions contrary to fact.
Subjunctive Forms
• You should have little trouble with the subjunctive once you know the following few forms:
1. With third person singular subjects (he, she, it, or any noun for which one could substitute he, she, or it), present tense verbs drop the –s or –es ending:
The old man asked that she leave him in peace. (not leaves)
Subjunctive Forms, Continued
2. The verb to be: --The present tense (all persons) is be:
Peace be [not is] with you.
--The past tense (all persons) is were:If I were [not was] a millionaire, I
wouldn’t have to eat hamburger every night.
Mood Shifts
• Remember to avoid unnecessary shifts in mood.
• These occur most commonly in sentences using indicative and imperative.
You have now finished the discussion of mood shifts.
Please complete PowerPoint worksheet # 39, and put it in your lab
folder.
