Chapter 4: Verb Mood

Like tense, mood refers to verb form. Instead of indicating the time zone of an action, however, the mood of a verb tells whether the action is real or not.

Indicative Mood

If you’re writing an action that did occur, is occurring, or will occur, you’re using indicative mood.

 

Examples:

Rover entered the room as soon as I turned on the TV.

He is lying on the couch, hoping to watch Animal Cops.

I will ask him to move over so that I can have a seat.

Imperative Mood

If you’re writing an action that commands the reader to do something, you’re using imperative mood.

 

Examples:

Move over, Rover.

Please don’t take up the whole couch.

And stop chewing on the remote control.

Subjunctive Mood

If you’re writing an action that isn’t happening or isn’t true, yet the sentence speculates about it, you’re using subjunctive mood.

 

Examples:

Rover yawned when I asked him to move over, as if I had been talking about the weather.

If Rover had any manners, he would make room for me on the couch.

I wish Rover were more considerate.

Indicative and imperative moods don’t cause problems; people handle them correctly without thinking. Subjunctive mood, however, is challenging. Special verb forms are necessary when you’re speculating about actions that aren’t happening or aren’t true—i.e., when you’re making hypothetical points, projecting what could have been or what would be. There are several contexts that require subjunctive mood, as well as a few different ways to express it. What follows is a discussion of some key words that should put you on subjunctive alert.

As if and as though

Whenever you’re using as if or as though, you’re at the beginning of a clause that may or may not require subjunctive mood. How you treat the verb in that clause depends on what you want to convey—that an action is true or possible, or that an action isn’t true or possible.

 

If you mean that something is true or possible, you don’t need to use subjunctive mood—you choose normal verb forms that depict the time zone you’re talking about.

 

Examples:

Rover bounded into the room as if he expected a treat.

He chews on the remote control as though he is hungry.

In those sentences, the verbs that follow as if and as though are what I’m calling normal—they are past tense for a past moment and present tense for a present moment, to convey that the actions are possibly true. (In the first example, it is possible that Rover expected a treat when he bounded into the room; in the second example, it is possible that he is hungry as he chews on the remote control.)

 

When, on the other hand, you want to indicate that an action is not true or possible, you need to apply a special treatment to the verb that follows as if or as though. Specifically, you need to use past-tense verb forms that don’t literally depict the time zones you’re talking about.

 

Examples:

Rover monopolizes the couch as if it were his property.

He acts as though he had purchased it with his hard-won allowance.

In the first example, the verb following as if is simple past tense, to convey that a point about the present is not true.

 

In the second example, the verb following as though is past-perfect tense, to convey that a point about the past did not happen.

 

Do you see the pattern? To communicate that an action isn’t true or happening, you step one rung down the tense ladder: for a point about the present, use past tense; for a point about the past, use past-perfect tense.

 

“Yes,” you may say, “but why does the first example contain were when the subject is it? Shouldn’t it be ‘as if it was his property?’” No, it shouldn’t—not when you’re talking about an action that isn’t presently true or happening. If you need a verb that comes from to be, choose were, no matter what the subject is.

 

More examples:

I choose to watch Judge Judy, as if Rover were interested in it.

Rover looks at me as though I were nuts.

In those as if and as though clauses, the subject changes (from Rover to I), but the verb remains were.

 

When people need the past tense of other verbs, they have no problem because they have no choice: every verb, except to be, has only one form of simple past tense. Only to be has two—was and were. That’s why people get confused. They know to use past tense; they don’t know to use were.

 

Here are the previous sample sentences again, this time containing the prevalent was mistake:

I choose to watch Judge Judy, as if Rover was interested in it.

Rover looks at me as though I was nuts.

If I mean to convey that Rover is not interested in Judge Judy and that I am not nuts, then I need to use were to show that what I am speculating about isn’t true.

If

When you’re using if to speculate about a situation that is possible, you automatically use normal verb tenses throughout the sentence (past, present, or future, depending on the time zone you’re discussing).

 

Examples:

If Rover already watched Animal Cops earlier in the day, he may let me see a bit of Judge Judy now.

If Rover insists on watching Animal Cops now, I will have to give in.

If I don’t give in, I will be in the dog house.

When you’re using if to speculate about a situation that is not possible, you need to use subjunctive mood throughout the sentence—in the clause that starts with if and in the other clause as well. (In this regard, sentences involving if are different from those involving as if or as though: in sentences containing if, both clauses are speculating about something; in sentences containing as if or as though, only one clause is speculating.)

 

Here are some examples of present subjunctive mood inside sentences involving if:

If Rover really cared about me, he would let me watch Judge Judy.

I would ignore Rover’s program preference, if he weren’t so big.

If I got into a fight with Rover, he would surely win.

Note that all the verbs in those sentences are past tense, to convey a present situation that isn’t true or happening.

 

Here are some examples of past subjunctive mood inside sentences involving if:

If I had known about Rover’s penchant for Animal Cops, I would never have bought a TV.

I would not have bought the TV anyway if it hadn’t been on sale.

If Rover had had his way, I would have purchased two TVs.

Note that the verbs inside those sentences are in more complicated forms of past tense, to convey a past situation that wasn’t true or happening. The verbs inside the if clauses all contain had plus a past participle.1 The verbs inside the independent clauses start with would have and end in a past participle. That’s how we communicate that a past action we’re speculating about did not take place.

 

In sentences like these, would always means that what you’re talking about is not true, not happening, or not likely.2 You need to watch your use of would so that it doesn’t sneak into sentences that otherwise convey possibility. Look at the following mixed messages:

If I get rid of the TV, I would have to get rid of Rover.

I would be miserable if I have no one to argue with.

Those sentences represent a common error: implying possibility in one clause and impossibility in the other. You can’t do that. You need to decide what you want to communicate—that something is possible or not—and then make your verbs consistent throughout the sentence. Here are some ways to revise the previous sample sentences:

If I get rid of the TV, I will have to get rid of Rover. (possible—may happen)

If I got rid of the TV, I would have to get rid of Rover. (impossible—not going to happen)

I will be miserable if I have no one to argue with. (possible—may happen)

I would be miserable if I had no one to argue with. (impossible—not going to happen)

Wish

Whenever you use wish (as a verb, not a noun), you need subjunctive mood in the clause(s) that follow.3 The verb wish, by definition, introduces actions that are not presently true and not likely to happen.

 

Examples:

I wish that Rover were a Pomeranian so that there would be room for me on the couch.

I wish that Animal Cops were aired only in Switzerland.

Rover wishes that I were better trained.

Again, the verb were follows Rover, Animal Cops, and I because those clauses express present impossibilities (that Rover is a Pomeranian, that Animal Cops is aired only in Switzerland, and that I am better trained). Note that would be occurs in the last clause of the first example, to indicate another present impossibility—that there is room for me on the couch.

 

The common error in this type of sentence is our old pal was:

I wish that Rover was a Pomeranian…

I wish that Animal Cops was aired…

Rover wishes that I was…

Never use was after wish. It is always wrong.

 

If the opening clause does not contain wish—i.e., if the sentence depicts a past action that may have occurred—then, was is correct, of course.

 

Examples:

Rover hoped that I was too tired to watch TV.

He looked as if he was sure I’d give up on Judge Judy.

If he was nervous, he wasn’t showing it.

Feeling overwhelmed by the was/were challenge? Here’s a reminder to lighten your mood: no other verb in our language has two forms of simple past tense. What if you had to think twice about every verb that follows as if, as though, if, and wish? Would you move to Switzerland (where they have three languages and no Animal Cops)?

 

QUIZ ON MOOD

Below is a letter from Rover to his owner. Your job is to edit the letter for mood. That is, look at all the verbs to see what they imply: that the action is true/possible or untrue/impossible. If the verb form conveys the right message, leave it alone; if it doesn’t, fix it.

Dear Owner:

1	When I selected you as an adoptive guardian, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. You looked clean, you smelled good, you didn’t bark or growl. You acted as if you’ve been around the block a few times.
2	After living with you for three months, I can see that you need a few pointers. For example, do you think it’s polite to stand around glaring at me while I watch TV? Why don’t you sit on the floor, like a good girl, and just look at the images? Even if you don’t understand the story, you can act as though you did.
3	Also, being a dog’s best friend doesn’t mean that you have to sit right next to me on the couch. What do you think they make rugs for? Obviously, we don’t need them for walking. And, if there were a tree or fire hydrant around, we don’t need them when nature calls, either. So they must be for sitting.
4	Let me clarify something: rugs are for sitting if the sitter has a little meat on her bones. Someone like you, for example, with built-in padding, wouldn’t need more than a thin rug under her. Someone in leaner shape—like me, for instance—would need a cushion or two. If you insist on sharing the couch, you’d need to buy a bigger one.
5	Finally, I wish I was free to enjoy my favorite program without all that grumbling you do. If you want to watch a different show, you could always get another TV.
6	I think our next walk should be to an electronics store. You can sit outside and wait patiently for me while I shop.

Rover

 

ANSWERS TO MOOD QUIZ

• Paragraph l contains one error. In the third sentence, ’ve (short for have) should be ’d (short for had), since Rover is talking about a past action that didn’t happen—that is, his owner had not been around the block a few times.
• Paragraph 2 contains no error. The final verb in the fourth sentence (did) is the one in question, since it occurs after as though. Did is correct because the sentence already set the condition even if you don’t understand…, so the final clause refers to something that isn’t true (as though you did).
• Paragraph 3 contains one error. In the fourth sentence, were should be is because Rover means to convey the possibility that a tree or fire hydrant is around. (The verb in the next clause, don’t need, correctly conveys possibility.)
• Paragraph 4 contains three errors. In the second sentence, wouldn’t need should be doesn’t need because Rover is stating what he believes to be true. For the same reason, in the third sentence, would need should be needs. In the last sentence, the verb in the second clause, ’d need, should be ’ll need. ’D need is short for would need, which is subjunctive; the verb in the previous clause, insist, is indicative. Indicative is the correct mood for both clauses because Rover means to convey possibility—i.e., that if his owner insists…, she will need to buy….
• Paragraph 5 contains two errors. In the first sentence, was should be were because it follows the verb wish. In the second sentence, could should be can because Rover is talking about a possibility. (The verb in the previous clause, want, conveys possibility; therefore, the verb in the second clause should do the same.)
• Paragraph 6 contains no error.