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Grammatical mood shows the function or intention of a verb in a sentence, whether we’re stating a fact or statement (indicative), giving a command (imperative), or talking about a hypothetical situation (subjunctive).

We can see this in action every time we use a verb:

• When we say: The film starts at 8. – we’re making a statement.
  
  
• When we say: Please close the door. – we’re giving an instruction.
  
  
• When we say: If I were rich, I would travel the world. – we’re imagining scenarios (in this case, wishful thinking).

Every verb we use serves one of these purposes, which is what grammatical mood captures.

Think of mood as the job we want our verb to do in the sentence. This grammatical framework organises our verbs into three main categories based on what job we want them to do.

✏️ Jump to Practice Makes Perfect

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What is Verb Conjugation? Verb conjugation is the process of changing verbs to show: 1) Person: Who is doing the action 2) Number: Whether it’s singular or plural 3) Tense: When the action happens 4) Mood: How the action is expressed (statements, commands, or hypotheticals) 5) Voice: Whether the subject performs or is the focus of the action

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• Mood in Use

  Indicative Mood:
  – I forgot my phone charger again.
  – This restaurant has the best pizza in town.
  – The next train from Birmingham to Manchester will depart from platform 3 in ten minutes.
  
  Imperative Mood:
  – Turn left after the traffic lights.
  – Please remember to lock the front door.
  – Call me when you get home safely.
  
  Subjunctive Mood:
  – I wish I had more free time.
  – He drives as though he were in a racing car.
  – If I could travel anywhere, I’d go to Japan.

Indicative Mood

When we express facts, opinions, general statements, and rules and requirements, we are using the indicative mood.

Indicative mood is by far the most common mood we use in English.

– Facts:

• Dogs are mammals.
• My birthday is in May.
• The Empire State Building has 102 floors.

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– Opinions:

• This film is brilliant so far.
• Coffee is essential for building a language website.
• Chinese food is the best takeaway food – no questions!

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– General Statements:

• Traffic is worse on Fridays.
• People check their phones too much nowadays.
• Children learn languages faster than adults.

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– Rules and Requirements:

• Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.
• Smoking is prohibited in this building.
• All phones must be turned off during the exam.

Indicative Mood and Verb Conjugation

The indicative mood doesn’t affect verb forms.

When we use the indicative mood, verbs follow their normal conjugation patterns for person, number, and tense.

For example:

Tenses	Examples
Simple Present	– I walk to work every day.
Simple Past	– I walked miles yesterday.
Simple Future	– I will walk the dog tonight.
Present Perfect	– I have walked five miles today.
Past Perfect	– I had walked there before.
Future Perfect	– I will have walked ten miles by then.

In all these examples, the verb walk only changes because of tense, not mood. This is different from the subjunctive mood, which can affect verb form (e.g., ‘If I were’ instead of ‘If I was’).

Interrogative Mood

When we ask questions or seek information, we are using the interrogative mood.

We use interrogative mood in several different types of questions:

• Will you be staying in a hotel on holiday? (direct question – yes / no)
• When did you arrive? (information-seeking question)
• Are you travelling by train or flying? (choice question)

Note: Some grammar guides consider interrogative mood a subcategory of indicative mood since questions use the same verb conjugation patterns as statements. Others argue it’s a separate mood because it serves a different function – seeking information rather than stating it.

– Interrogative Mood and Verb Conjugation

The interrogative mood doesn’t create entirely new verb forms, but it does alter the usual sentence structure. Questions change word order and often require auxiliary verbs, which can affect how the main verb appears.

For example:

Indicative Sentence		Interrogative Sentence
Subject | Verb | Rest of Sentence She | works | in the city centre.	➝	Auxiliary | Subject | Verb | Rest of Sentence Does | she | work | in the city centre?

Notice: In question sentences, the word order changes: the subject and verb switch positions, and in this case, we add the auxiliary verb does at the beginning.

In addition, all main verbs in questions appear in their base forms (e.g., work):

✅ – Does she work in the city centre?
❌ – Does she works in the city centre?

Imperative Mood

When we give commands, make requests, or offer instructions we are using the imperative mood.

If we want someone to do something (or not do something), we turn to the imperative mood.

– Commands:

• Pay attention!
• Please turn off the lights before you leave.
• Put your phone away at the dinner table.

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– Requests:

• Pass the salt, please.
• Please help me carry these boxes upstairs.
• Remind me to call my mom later.

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– Instructions:

• Mix the ingredients in a large bowl.
• Take the second exit at the roundabout.
• Save your work before closing the program.

Imperative Mood and Verb Conjugation

The imperative mood does affect verb forms in a specific way.

Imperative verbs always use the base form and don’t include a stated subject (the subject you is implied).

For example:

Type	Example	Implied Subject
Positive Command	– Walk faster.	– [You] walk faster.
Negative Command	– Don’t walk on the grass.	– [You] don’t walk on the grass.
Polite Request	– Please walk with me.	– [You] please walk with me.
Urgent Instruction	– Walk quickly to the exit.	– [You] walk quickly to the exit.

Notice how walk stays in its base form in each example (e.g., Walk Faster / Don’t walk on the grass). You is always the subject, but we don’t usually have to explicitly say or write it when using imperative forms.

Subjunctive Mood

When we express wishes, hypothetical situations, or formal demands we are using the subjunctive mood.

This mood is used when the action or state is not presented as a simple fact, whether that be something imagined, desired, or formally required.

– Wishes:

• I wish I were living in a warmer climate.
• I wish I could have seen The Beatles play live.
• I wish I had travelled across the US when I was younger.

Here, the speaker imagines a different reality from the one that exists.

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– Hypothetical Situations:

• If she were my sister, I’d be so proud.
• If the meeting were cancelled, I’d be relieved.
• If this were my house, I’d consider myself lucky.
• If it were up to me, we’d leave first thing to beat the traffic.

These subjunctive constructions describe situations that are not real. They exist only in the speaker’s imagination or as what if scenarios.

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– Demands / Suggestions:

• The manager insisted that everyone be present for the meeting.
• The committee recommends that funding be increased.
• The law requires that all drivers have tax and insurance.

In these subjunctive constructions, the action or scenario being spoken about has not yet happened. It’s being requested, required, or proposed.

Subjunctive Mood and Verb Conjugation

The subjunctive mood uses distinctive verb forms in certain contexts that differ from normal patterns of verb conjugation.

– The Verb To Be in Subjunctive Constructions

In past subjunctive constructions (typically wishes and hypotheticals), all subjects use were with the verb to be, regardless of what they would normally use in indicative mood.

For example:

The Verb To Be: Indicative vs. Subjunctive

Subject Pronouns	Indicative	Subjunctive
* I	– I was at the beach yesterday.	– I wish I were at the beach right now.
You	– You were at the party last night, weren’t you?	– I wish you were coming to the party with us.
* He / She / It	– It was an easy decision.	– I wish it were an easy decision.
We	– We were on holiday last week.	– We wish we were still on holiday.
They	– They were in the building earlier.	– If they were still inside, we’d have seen them.

* Notice how I was and he / she / it was both change to were in the subjunctive. This indicates that we are talking about wishes or something imagined.

More examples:

✅ – If I were rich, I’d buy a house by the sea.
❌ – If I was rich, I’d buy a house by the sea.

✅ – If I were you, I’d grab that opportunity with both hands.
❌ – If I was you, I’d grab that opportunity with both hands.

✅ – He spends money as though he were a millionaire.
❌ – He spends money as though he was a millionaire.

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Note: In modern English many people naturally use was (the indicative form) instead of the traditional subjunctive were.

A fun example of this can be found in the lyrics of Skee-Lo’s song I Wish:

❌– I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller.
> Technically wrong in grammatical terms but widely accepted.

– Other Verbs in Subjunctive Constructions

Unlike the verb to be, most other verbs in past subjunctive constructions look identical in both indicative and subjunctive moods.

For example:

Other Verbs: Indicative vs. Subjunctive

Subject Pronouns	Indicative	Subjunctive
I	– I worked from home yesterday.	– If only I worked from home every day.
You	– You visited us last month.	– I wish you visited more often.
He / She / It	– He visited Italy once.	– He talks as though he had lived there for a decade.
We	– We travelled to Spain last summer.	– We wish we travelled more often.
They	– They didn’t clean up after themselves.	– I wish they cleaned up after themselves.

As most verbs are identical in indicative and subjunctive forms, it is context that tells us which mood is being used.

Words and phrases around the verb – such as I wish, if only, as though, and as if – signal subjunctive mood, even though the verb looks exactly the same as it would in a regular factual statement.

– Verbs of Suggestion and Demand

After verbs that express suggestions, demands, requirements, or recommendations, we use the base form of the following verb.

Common examples include suggest, demand, insist, recommend, and require. We can call these verbs trigger verbs.

For example:

✅ – The doctor recommended that she stop smoking.
❌ – The doctor recommended that she stops smoking.

✅ – His trainer insists that he maintain a strict diet.
❌ – His trainer insists that he maintains a strict diet.

✅ – The boss has requested that all employees attend the training session.
❌ – The boss has requested that all employees attends the training session.

Notice how we use base forms (e.g., stop / maintain / attend) here.

In indicative constructions, we would add -s to third-person singular subjects (e.g., she stops / he maintains).

However, after subjunctive-triggering verbs, we always use the base form of a verb. This rule applies to any subject: I, you, he/she/it, we, they.

Practice Makes Perfect: Mood

Put your knowledge of grammatical mood to the test here in our interactive practice section.

Exercise 1: Identify the Mood

State whether each sentence is in the indicative, imperative, or subjunctive mood.

1. She handed in her notice on Friday morning.
   
   
2. I wish I were better at parallel parking.
   
   
3. Don’t leave your wet towel on the bathroom floor, please.
   
   
4. The match kicks off at half past seven.
   
   
5. If I were you, I’d take the job.
   
   
6. Wash your hands before eating.
   
   
7. More people are working from home these days.
   
   
8. I wish I had started learning Spanish years ago.
   
   
9. The café in the city centre does the best bacon sandwich. Period.
   
   
10. Don’t forget to charge your phone before we go.

Exercise 1: Answers [Click]

1. Indicative (statement of fact)
   
   
2. Subjunctive (wish)
   
   
3. Imperative (negative request)
   
   
4. Indicative (statement of fact)
   
   
5. Subjunctive (hypothetical)
   
   
6. Imperative (instruction)
   
   
7. Indicative (general statement)
   
   
8. Subjunctive (wish)
   
   
9. Indicative (opinion)
   
   
10. Imperative (instruction)

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Exercise 2: Imperative Mood in Action

Each sentence below is missing its imperative verb.

Choose the correct verb from the word bank to complete each instruction, request, or command.

Word Bank: hurry up / let / check / bring / take

1. ____________, we’re going to be late.
   
   
2. ____________ me know when you’ve arrived safely.
   
   
3. ____________ that you’ve turned the oven off before you leave.
   
   
4. ____________ an umbrella, the forecast isn’t looking great.
   
   
5. ____________ the second road on the left and the hotel is straight ahead.

Exercise 2: Answers [Click]

1. Hurry up
   
   
2. Let
   
   
3. Check
   
   
4. Bring
   
   
5. Take

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Exercise 3: Was or Were?

Choose the correct verb form to complete each sentence.

1. I ____________ there last week, actually. (was / were)
   
   
2. I ____________ absolutely exhausted after that long drive. (was / were)
   
   
3. I wish the commute into work ____________ a bit shorter. (was / were)
   
   
4. The film ____________ a lot better than I expected, to be honest. (was / were)
   
   
5. They spend money as though it ____________ growing on trees. (was / were)
   
   
6. If it ____________ up to the dog, we’d go on six walks a day. (was / were)
   
   
7. I wish it ____________ a bit sunnier in this country. (was / were)
   
   
8. The concert ____________ sold out by the time we tried to get tickets. (was / were)
   
   
9. He talks about ancient Rome so much that you’d think he ____________ born there. (was / were)
   
   
10. If the flight ____________ delayed, we’d miss the connection entirely. (was / were)

Exercise 3: Answers [Click]

1. was – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
2. was – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
3. were – subjunctive (wish)
   
   
4. was – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
5. were – subjunctive (as though hypothetical)
   
   
6. were – subjunctive (hypothetical)
   
   
7. were – subjunctive (wish)
   
   
8. was – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
9. were – subjunctive (hypothetical)
   
   
10. were – subjunctive (hypothetical)

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Exercise 4: Trigger Verbs

After verbs of suggestion, recommendation, and demand (trigger verbs), the verb that follows always uses its base form.

Choose the correct verb form in each sentence.

1. The doctor recommended that she ____________ eating so much sugar. (stop / stops)
   
   
2. My physio insisted that I ____________ running completely for two weeks. (stop / stops)
   
   
3. Early or late, she always ____________ a coffee before work. (grab / grabs)
   
   
4. The coach recommended that he ____________ plenty of rest before the next match. (get / gets)
   
   
5. The early bird ____________ the worm. (get / gets)
   
   
6. The school requires that every student ____________ a permission slip before the trip. (sign / signs)

Exercise 4: Answers [Click]

1. stop – base form after recommended
   
   
2. stop – base form after insisted
   
   
3. grabs – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
4. get – base form after recommended
   
   
5. gets – indicative (well-known saying)
   
   
6. sign – base form after requires

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Exercise 5: Mood in Context

Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Pay attention to the mood required by the context.

Tom has a job interview in an hour. He (1) ___________ (be) nervous because the role (2) ___________ (be) at one of the biggest companies in his field, and he really wants the position.

His roommate Sarah notices him pacing and getting more nervous by the second. ‘Relax and (3) ___________ (breathe),’ she says. ‘(4) ___________ (take) one question at a time, (5) ___________ (be) friendly, and (6) ___________ (make) eye contact.’

Tom nods. ‘I know, I know. I just want to get it over and done with. The waiting (7) ___________ (make) my nerves worse. I do wish I (8) ___________ (be) better at this sort of thing. I wish I (9) ___________ (have) more confidence and … Actually, if we’re wishing for things, I wish I (10) ___________ (be) rich and never had to do one of these horrible things again.’

Exercise 5: Answers [Click]

1. is – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
2. is – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
3. breathe – imperative (instruction)
   
   
4. Take – imperative (instruction)
   
   
5. Be – imperative (instruction)
   
   
6. Make – imperative (instruction)
   
   
7. makes – indicative (factual statement)
   
   
8. were – subjunctive (wish)
   
   
9. had – subjunctive (wish)
   
   
10. were – subjunctive (wish)

Full Text:

Tom has a job interview in an hour. He is nervous because the role is at one of the biggest companies in his field, and he really wants the position.

His roommate Sarah notices him pacing and getting more nervous by the second. ‘Relax and breathe,’ she says. ‘Take one question at a time, be friendly, and make eye contact.’

Tom nods. ‘I know, I know. I just want to get it over and done with. The waiting makes my nerves worse. I do wish I were better at this sort of thing. I wish I had more confidence and … Actually, if we’re wishing for things, I wish I were rich and never had to do one of these horrible things again.’

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