VERB MOODS

Mood is used to show attitude and intent. The verb mood tells us whether the speaker expresses a fact, opinion, suggestion, or command. It lets us know if the situation is real or imaginary and whether the speaker is certain or unsure. For example:

Matilda’s presence was of no consequence to her family. Until she spoke, her family had no idea she was there. Matilda was invisible.

Verb inflection determines whether an expression reflects an indicative, imperative, or subjunctive verb mood. In the example, the speaker uses the indicative mood to express a fact or opinion. 

You don’t need to name the different mood expressions to write effectively–your editor can bother with that! However, knowing how and when to use different verb forms when expressing a mood is helpful.

Tense matters when setting a mood. Often, we can rely on good instincts to convey our intent accurately. For example, if we want Matilda to leave the room, we might write, 

Matilda turned and walked out the door.

To make that sentence past tense, we say, “Matilda left the room.” Yay! Mood and tense are fun and easy!

Which of these sentences would you use to write a hypothetical situation where Matilda leaves the room?

If Matilda was to leave the room, nobody would notice.

If Matilda were to leave the room, nobody would notice.

If you picked the second sentence, you were right! Oh, frabjuous day!

But wait, why?!

You’re glad your editor almost always responds to your random texts in times like these. Otherwise, you would lie awake all night with the misheard lines from “O Fortuna” sung to Orff’s movement on repeat in your head as you wonder how many times you used the wrong verb form.

Hypothetical expressions are one of a handful that require us to use the subjunctive verb form to set the mood. To determine if you are expressing the subjunctive mood and need to change the verb form, ask:

Is the expression or action hypothetical, imagined, or doubtful?

Is the expression or action contrary to reality or fact?

Use the subjunctive verb form if you answered “yes” to any part of either question.

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