English
Guidelines for Choosing Mood
Three verb moods express the attitude or thought of the speaker or writer toward a subject:
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The indicative mood expresses a fact;
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The imperative mood expresses a command; and
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The subjunctive mood expresses a doubt, a conjecture, or a suggestion.
Indicative: I am looking for the perfect mate.
Imperative: Begin your search for the perfect mate with the personal ads.
Subjunctive: I wish I were lucky enough to find the perfect mate.
Only the subjunctive mood creates problems for most speakers and writers. The most common use of subjunctive mood occurs in clauses including
if or wish. In such clauses, substitute the subjunctive verb were for the indicative verb was; eg., If she were (not was) in my position, she would be more sympathetic. Miss Ellen acts as if she were (not was) the queen. I wish I were (not was) able to attend your wedding.
