After tense and voice, verbs have one more feature: mood. Mood shows how the writer presents the action: as a fact, as a command, or as something wished for or not real.
| Mood | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative | states facts and asks questions | “The bus is late.” “Is the bus late?” |
| Imperative | gives commands and requests | “Close the door, please.” |
| Subjunctive | wishes, conditions that aren’t true, and demands or requests after that | “If I were taller …” “I wish it were Friday.” “The coach asks that every player arrive on time.” |
Key idea
For a wish or a condition that isn’t true, formal writing uses were with every subject: if I were, if she were. After verbs like ask, insist and require + that, it uses the base form: that she be, that he arrive.
Why it works
Were signals “not true.” “If I were a bird” tells the reader you are not one, while “If I was late yesterday, I’m sorry” treats being late as a real possibility.
Worked example: An unreal condition
If I (was / were) a bird, I would fly south.
- I am not a bird: the condition is unreal.
- Use the subjunctive were.
Answer: If I were a bird, I would fly south.
Worked example: A real possibility
If she (was / were) at the game yesterday, she saw the goal.
- We don’t know whether she was there; it may well be true.
- A real possibility takes the indicative was.
Answer: If she was at the game yesterday, she saw the goal.
Worked example: A requirement
The rules require that every rider (wear / wears) a helmet.
- Require that calls for the subjunctive.
- The subjunctive is the base form, with no -s.
Answer: … that every rider wear a helmet. (British English often says “should wear.”)
Common mistake
Writing “If I was taller” in formal writing. Was there is common in conversation; the subjunctive were is standard in formal writing for a condition that isn’t true.