On a grammatical level, there are four major moods, and they determine how verbs get used.
There is the imperative mood which expresses a request or gives a command:
- Let’s take a walk.
- Walk!
Both are complete sentences and only a verb can be used properly as a one word, stand-alone sentence.
There is the indicative mood which serves to state a fact.
- We act.
- We played ball.
A verb in the indicative mood does not work as a stand-alone sentence. If the sentence were simply “Act!” then the mood would shift to the imperative.
The subjunctive mood is used to express a wish. When there are words like “as though,” “if,” then the subjunctive dictates the verb usage. This mood is more passive than the imperative mood and uses a passive voice construction with verbs.
- I wish I were famous.
- If I were famous, I could do great things.
In the above example “I wish I were famous” the ‘were’ is the key to the point that this wish is not definitive. If the sentence said “I wish I was famous” that would be incorrect because the ‘was’ is an imperative or indicative construction and would make the sentence mean that ‘I’ definitely had been famous, but now I am not. That is not the meaning of the statement “I wish I were famous” and that is how to determine whether to use ‘was’ or ‘were’ in a sentence.
The infinitive mood is used when there is no specific subject associated with the verb.
- To err is human.
- Live to shop.
In this instance, ‘to err’ is actually a noun and the verb used is ‘is.’ ‘To err’ and ‘human’ are both objects of the ‘is’ and so, with no clear subject central to the sentence, the mood is therefore the infinitive. Both are complete sentences or thoughts, but there is no functioning subject doing any of the things that the verb is illustrating.
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