Mood & Modality: A Practical Overview
Quick Summaries
- Indicative Mood — states facts or asks questions. Example: “The server is running.”
- Imperative Mood — gives commands or requests. Example: “Restart the server.”
- Subjunctive Mood — expresses hypotheticals, wishes, or necessities. Example: “If the server were running, users could log in.”
- Modal Verbs — auxiliaries showing ability, permission, possibility, or obligation. Example: “The server might crash.”
When to Choose Each Mood
| Goal | Prefer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| State facts or ask for data | Indicative | Presents reality plainly. |
| Issue instructions or UI micro-copy | Imperative | Direct, concise, action-oriented. |
| Explore hypotheticals or wishes | Subjunctive | Signals unreality or desired outcome. |
| Add nuance (ability, duty, likelihood) | Modal Verbs | Encodes subtle shades in a single auxiliary. |
| Soften statements / hedge predictions | Modal Verbs | Reduces certainty (“The release could slip.”). |
Converting Indicative → Imperative
- Drop the subject you (often implied).
- Use the base verb up front.
- Remove auxiliaries unless needed for meaning.
Indicative: “You click the Deploy button.”
Imperative: “Click the Deploy button.”
Converting Indicative → Subjunctive
- Introduce a trigger word (if, that, though, wish…).
- Use the base verb for all persons; for be, use were.
- Keep the clause dependent if expressing a condition or desire.
Indicative: “The API is stable.”
Subjunctive: “I wish the API were stable.”