The Mood
The mood shows the relation between the action expressed by the predicate verb and reality. The mood refers to the factual or non-factual status of events. Non-factual means events which do no happen or are only desired. The relation between the action and reality is established by the speaker. The speaker’s attitude to the action may be expressed by:
one of the mood forms to show whether the action is represented as a real fact or as problematic or unreal;
He reads a lot. I wish he read a lot. (Subjunctive II)
modal verbs to represent an action as necessary or unnecessary, possible or impossible, certain or doubtful, etc.;
He can read books in original.
attitudinal adverbs (certainly, perhaps, probably, luckily, unfortunately, etc.) to express different degrees of certainty on the part of the speaker or the desirability of the action from his point of view.
I believe, this is his book. Perhaps, this is his book. This may be his book.
The following attitudinal adverbs express a comment on the truth-value of what is being said, indicating the extend to which the speaker believes what he is saying is true:
admittedly allegedly certainly decidedly |
definitely doubtless maybe obvious |
perhaps possible presumably quite likely |
supposedly surely undoubtfully |
Attitudinal adverbs also express attitude towards what is being said:
amazingly cleverly (in)correctly curiously foolishly (un)fortunately |
funnily enough (un)happily incredibly ironically (un)justly (un)luckily |
oddly preferably reasonably remarkably sensibly |
significantly strangely tragically typically unexpectedly |
The mood of a clause is the type of structure it has which indicates whether it is basically a statement, command or question. Mood relates the verbal action to such conditions as certainty, necessity, possibility, etc.
Modality is a term used in grammatical and semantic analysis to refer to meanings connected with degrees of certainty and degrees of necessity, obligation, or desirability, expressed mainly by verbs but also by associated forms (modal verbs, modal adjectives, as well as by related adjectives and nouns).
Modal forms are an interpersonal aspect of grammar. In conversational discourse they serve to mark out personal relationships and to convey important features such as politeness, indirectness, assertiveness etc.
Types of the mood
There are four moods of English* :
the declarative mood (also called the indicative mood);
the imperative mood;
the interrogative mood;
the subjunctive mood.
The declarative (indicative) mood is a factual mood. It involves all the choices of person, tense, number, aspect, modality and voice.
Officials meet at the agency’s office to study data from governments.
Communication is essential, says Matsuda.
The imperative mood is a non-factual mood and is used to issue directives. It involves the base form of the verb.
Don’t tell Jeeves!
The subjunctive mood is a non-factual mood. It refers to wishes, desires etc. it is used after a very limited number of verbs (suggest, demand, recommend etc.), occasionally after conditional subordinators (if, as if, as though, lest, on condition that etc.) and occasionally after expressions of necessity (e.g. it is important / essential etc.).
If the Bottomleys are to retain their status I suggest that Peter be restricted to handshaking duties.
He looks as if he walked off the set of Dynasty: a tough character.