##  [Using verb moods](/hypergrammar-2/using-verb-moods)

##  Avertissement

Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.

There are three [verb](what-is-a-verb#whatisverb) <a id="moods">moods</a>: indicative, imperative and subjunctive.

##  The indicative mood

The <a id="indicativemood">indicative mood</a> expresses facts and opinions or asks questions. Most statements and questions are in the indicative mood.

The highlighted verbs in the following sentences are the indicative mood:

- Joe *picks up* the boxes.
- The German shepherd *fetches* the stick.
- Bridget *closes* the window.

##  The imperative mood

The <a id="imperativemood">imperative mood</a> is used to give orders or to make requests. The imperative is identical in form to the [second-person](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#persons) indicative.

The highlighted verbs in the following sentences are all in the imperative mood:

- *Pick up* those boxes.
- *Fetch*!
- *Close* the window.

##  The subjunctive mood

The subjunctive mood is disappearing from English and is thus more difficult to use correctly than either the indicative or imperative mood. The subjunctive mood is used only in specific circumstances.

The [present tense](using-verb-tenses#presenttenses) subjunctive is formed by dropping the *s* from the end of the [third-person](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#thirdperson) [singular](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#singular), except for the verb *be*. For example:

**paints**  present subjunctive: *paint*  **walks**  present subjunctive: *walk*  **thinks**  present subjunctive: *think*  **is**  present subjunctive: *be*Except for the verb *be*, the [past tense](using-verb-tenses#pasttenses) subjunctive is indistinguishable in form from the past tense indicative. For example:

**painted**  past subjunctive: *painted*  **walked**  past subjunctive: *walked*  **thought**  past subjunctive: *thought*  **was**  past subjunctive: *were*The <a id="subjunctive">subjunctive</a> is encountered in a few traditional sayings. For example, in the [sentence](subject-and-predicate#sentence) *God save the Queen*, the verb *save* is in the subjunctive mood. Similarly, in the sentence *Heaven forbid*, the verb *forbid* is in the subjunctive mood.

The subjunctive is also used in the [dependent clause](using-clauses-as-nouns-adjectives-and-adverbs#dependentclauses) of [complex sentences](the-structure-of-a-sentence#complexsentence) to express unreal conditions. It follows verbs of wishing or requesting such as *ask*, *command*, *demand*, *insist*, *order*, *recommend*, *require*, *suggest* or *wish*.

The subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when it is attached to an independent clause that uses an [adjective](what-is-an-adjective#adjective) that expresses urgency such as *crucial*, *essential*, *important*, *imperative*, *necessary* or *urgent*.

The highlighted verbs in the following sentences are in the subjunctive mood:

- It is urgent that Harraway *attend* the meeting.
- The Member of Parliament demanded that the Minister *explain* the effects of the bill on the environment.
- The sergeant ordered that Calvin *scrub* the walls of the mess hall.
- We suggest that Mrs. Beatty *move* her car out of the no-parking zone.
- The committee recommended that the bill *be passed* immediately.
- If Canada *were* a tropical country, we would be able to grow pineapples in our backyards.
- If he *were* more generous, he would not have chased the canvassers away from his door.
- I wish that this book *were* still in print.

##  Avis de droit d’auteur pour l’outil HyperGrammar 2

© Département d’anglais, Faculté des arts, Université d’Ottawa
Un outil mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada

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## Liens connexes

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