Transcript Shifts in Mood - The Syracuse City School District

Shifts in Mood
NEC FACET Center
Introduction
• Shifts in mood are often closely related to
shifts in tense.
• Both involve verbs.
• We will begin this lesson by reviewing
grammatical mood.
What is Grammatical Mood?
• The grammatical term
mood has nothing to do
with frame of mind.
• Instead, it is a variant
of the word mode,
meaning “manner or
method.”
What does mood reveal?
• Grammatical mood indicates the manner in
which the writer conceives of the sentence-that is, the writer’s idea whether the sentence
states fact, expresses doubt, gives a
command, or performs some other function.
How can we tell the “mood” of a
sentence?
• The verb or verbs in each sentence indicate
the mood in which the writer wrote the
sentence.
The Three Moods
• English employs three traditionally
recognized moods:
– Indicative
– Imperative
– Subjunctive
Indicative
Indicative Mood
•
•
•
•
Writers most frequently use indicative mood.
Indicative sentences make statements of fact.
Example: John will fly to Chicago today.
Example: Although I can knit, I have never
learned to sew.
Which of the following sentences
is in indicative mood?
• Peace be with you.
• Leave that dog alone.
• Harold was late to his wedding.
Answer
• Harold was late to his wedding.
• This sentence makes a simple statement of
fact.
• The other two sentences expressed a wish
(peace be with you) or gave a command
(Leave that dog alone).
• Since the majority of English sentences
express fact, you should not find it difficult
to recognize the indicative mood.
Indicative Mood & Verb Tenses
• The indicative mood employs common verb
tenses:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Present: I see.
Past: I saw
Future: I will see.
Present Perfect: I have seen.
Past Perfect: I had seen.
Future Perfect: I shall (will) have seen.
• Most grammarians classify interrogative
sentences, as well as statements of fact, as
indicative.
• An interrogative sentence, as you know,
asks a question.
• Example: Was Harold late to his wedding?
Which of the following sentences
is in the indicative mood?
• Eat those beets immediately.
• Has he decided to start lifting weights?
• Heaven help you.
Answer
• Has he decided to start lifting weights?
• Remember that questions employ indicative
mood, just as do those that state facts.
Imperative
• Writers use the imperative mood to give
commands or to make requests.
• Example: Eat your beets. (command)
• Example: Please forgive me. (request)
The “Understood” You
• All imperative verbs are in the
second person, present tense.
• Writers generally omit the subject,
you, of an imperative verb, but
writers understand it as part of the
sentence.
Which of the following sentences
is in the imperative mood?
• Step right this way.
• You should go home now.
• The general commanded his company to
charge.
Answer
• Step right this way.
• This sentence makes a request.
• The subject, you, is understood, just as it is
in most imperative sentences.
• The omission of you helps make imperative
sentences easier to recognize.
Subjunctive
• The third of the three commonly recognized
moods is the subjunctive.
What is subjunctive
mood?
• The subjunctive mood expresses wishes
and suppositions contrary to fact.
• Example: Peace be with you. (wish)
• He speaks French as if he were a
Frenchman. (supposition contrary to fact)
• In the second sentence, the main clause—
He speaks French—is in the indicative
because it states a fact.
• The “as-if” clause uses the subjunctive
because it expresses a condition contrary to
fact: he is not really a Frenchman.
• When the dependent clause is subjunctive,
the main clause is normally indicative.
• This shift is a logical and necessary one and
not considered a faulty shift in mood.
Which of the following tests
employs the subjunctive?
• Go and get me some cream and sugar.
• When she awoke, she could remember
every detail of her dream.
• I wish I were a kid again.
Answer
• I wish I were a kid again.
• The dependent clause—(that) I were a
kid again—expresses a wish and is in the
subjunctive.
• The main clause—I wish—asserts a fact
and is in the indicative.
• In our day-to-day language use, the
indicative has, to a large extent, replaced
the subjunctive.
• However, writers continue having difficulty
with the subjunctive because its few
surviving uses require special verb forms.
• You should have little difficulty with
the subjunctive once you know the
following few forms.
Rule # 1
• The third person singular (he, she, it) of the
present tense verb drops its –s or –es
ending.
Application of Rule #1
• Therefore, although we would normally
write “she leaves,” the subjunctive that se
drop the -s.
• Example: The old man asked that she leave
him in peace.
Rule # 2
• The verb to be requires special treatment.
• In the subjunctive, the present tense is
always be, not the normal am, is, or are.
• Example: Peace be with you. (Not “Peace
is with you.”
Rule # 2, Continued:
Past Tense of To Be
• Similarly, in the subjunctive, the past tense
is always were, never was.
• Example: If I were a millionaire, I wouldn’t
eat hamburger every night.
Advice
• The past subjunctive of to be—always
were—is the subjunctive form people most
frequently use and misuse.
• Therefore, you should pay particular
attention to it.
Which of the following sentences employs
the subjunctive correctly?
• He be a very interesting person.
• If he were not so lazy, he would go far.
• We would not be talking about her if she
was here.
Answer
• If he were not so lazy, he would go far.
• The if-clause makes a supposition contrary
to the fact: he apparently is “so lazy.”
• The verb uses the correct past tense
subjunctive—were.
• We correctly use subjunctive forms in
several main situations.
• The first two come naturally to native
English-speakers.
Situations Requiring the
Subjunctive
1. In a main clause expressing a wish:
–
God bless you. [not blesses]
2. In a that-clause expressing a request, a
demand, a motion, or a formal resolution:
–
–
The teacher demanded that he leave the room.
[not leaves]
Resolved: that this motion be tabled. [not is]
• Only two subjunctive uses are likely to
cause you difficulty.
• The first appears as # 2 on the previous
slide.
• If you wish to look back at it, press your
keyboard’s “page up” key.
Rule # 3
3. In a that-clause expressing a wish
–
Example: He wishes that he were in India.
(not was)
Writers may often omit the that in sentences
like the one above.
Rule # 4
Here is the other troublesome use:
4. In an if-clause expressing a condition
contrary to fact that is impossible or highly
improbable.
–
Even if he were a millionaire, she still would
not marry him.
Remember . . .
• The past tense of the verb to be is were,
not was.
Caution
• Not all if-clauses require the subjunctive.
• You should use the indicative if the condition
expressed by the if-clause is possible or
probable.
– The President stated that our forces would
retaliate if the island was bombed.
Reminder
• However, remember to use the subjunctive when
the if-clause is clearly contrary to fact or purely
hypothetical.
• If I were President, I would not employ our
forces to defend the island.
• The person named as “I” is clearly not the
President.
Which of the sentences below
should employ the subjunctive?
• If he was our father, he’d have a right to tell us
what to do.
• The traffic department decided that a motorist
should be given a ticket if he was stopped for
driving too slowly.
• If I was caught without bus fare, I would simply
walk home.
Answer
• Only the sentence below states a supposition
contrary to fact.
• If he was our father, he’d have a right to tell
us what to do.
Revised Sentence
• The sentence should read as follows:
• If he were our father, he’d have a right to
tell us what to do.
Further Explanation
• The remaining two sentences correctly used the
indicative, rather than the subjunctive, because
their if-clauses express possible or probable
conditions.
– The traffic department decided that a motorist should
be given a ticket if he was stopped for driving too
slowly.
– If I was caught without bus fare, I would simply walk
home.
• While the subjunctive is becoming
increasingly uncommon in speech, in
writing it still preserves the fine distinctions
of meaning that make English a rich
language.
• Places will always exist in your writing
where you can and should use the
subjunctive to good advantage.
Brief Review
• Indicative--used to state a fact or ask a
question
• Imperative--used to give a command or
make a request (in a main clause)
• Subjunctive--used mainly to express wished
and to make suppositions
contrary to fact.
Question
• Which of the following sentences is written
entirely in the indicative mood?
– Get me a basin and some hot water.
– Silently the captain was wishing to retreat, but
aloud he ordered his men to make ready for the
attack.
– Mr. Billings would be thoroughly likeable if he
were not always telling such bad jokes.
Answer
– Silently the captain was wishing to retreat, but
aloud he ordered his men to make ready for the
attack.
• Though it mentions a wish and an order, the
second sentence states fact.
• It says nothing contrary to fact, nor does it
give an order for the reader to do anything
• Therefore, it is indicative.
Shifts in Mood
Word of Advice
• Just as you should avoid needless shifts in
subject, person, and tense, you should also
avoid illogical shifts in mood.
A Correct Shift
• As you have learned, a sentence containing
a subjunctive if-clause or that-clause
correctly shifts to the indicative in its main
clause.
• If I were you, I’d go on a diet.
(subjunctive) (indicative)
Faulty Shift
• However, faulty shifts in mood often involve
the indicative and the imperative.
– First, preheat the oven; then you should grease
the cake pan. (shift from imperative to
indicative)
Possible Revisions
• All in the imperative: First, preheat the
oven; then grease the cake pan.
• All in the indicative: You should first
preheat the oven; then you should grease the
cake pan.
Remember . . .
• Do not shift moods without reason.
Question: Which of the following
sentences shifts mood without reason?
• She requested that he darken her door no
more.
• Even though the air was warm, the water
was too cold for swimming.
• All students should assemble on the main
quadrangle at ten o’clock, and don’t be late.
Answer
• All students should assemble on the main
quadrangle at six o’clock, and don’t be late.
• The first clause is in the indicative and the
second in the imperative.
Possible Revisions
• All students should assemble on the main
quadrangle promptly at six o’clock.
• All students should assemble on the main
quadrangle at six o’clock; they must not be
late.
Summary
• Grammatical mood indicates the manner in
which the writer conceives of the sentence:
that is, his idea as to whether the sentence
states a fact, expresses a doubt, gives a
command, or performs some other function.
• The verb or verbs in each sentence indicate
the mood in which the sentence is written.
• When writing, we most frequently use the
indicative.
• The indicative makes statements of fact.
• Examples:
– John is going to Chicago.
– Although I can knit, I never learned to sew.
More Indicative Sentences
• Most grammarians classify interrogative
sentences, as well as statements of fact, as
indicative.
• Example of an interrogative sentence:
– Was Harold late to his wedding?
Imperative Mood
• The imperative mood gives commands or
makes requests.
• Examples:
– Eat your dinner.
– Please forgive me.
The “Understood” You
• All imperative verbs are in the second
person, present tense.
• The subject of an imperative verb—you—is
usually omitted but is understood by the
reader as part of the statement.
• Example: Shut the door = (You) shut the
door.
Subjunctive Mood
• The subjunctive mood primarily expresses
wishes and suppositions contrary to fact.
Subjunctive Forms
• You should have little trouble with the
subjunctive once you know the following
few forms:
1. With third person singular subjects (he,
she, it, or any noun for which one could
substitute he, she, or it), present tense
verbs drop the –s or –es ending:

The old man asked that she leave him in
peace. (not leaves)
Subjunctive Forms, Continued
2. The verb to be:
--The present tense (all persons) is be:
Peace be [not is] with you.
--The past tense (all persons) is were:
If I were [not was] a millionaire, I wouldn’t
have to eat hamburger every night.
Mood Shifts
• Remember to avoid unnecessary shifts in
mood.
• These occur most commonly in sentences
using indicative and imperative.
You have now finished the
discussion of mood shifts.
Please complete PowerPoint
worksheet # 39, and put it in your lab
folder.