The oblique moods

MOOD

THE INDICATIVE MOOD

The indicative mood shows that the speaker considers the action or state denoted by the predicate as an actual fact and affirms or negates its existence in the present, past or future:

The forces of the peace camp are growing, in numbers and strength from day to day. The Moscow Kremlin was founded in the 12^th century. Tomorrow in the small hours we shall be nearing the sea. She has not finished her task yet.

The indicative mood is widely used in Modern English. As has already been stated the verb in the indicative mood has three primary tenses and three secondary (perfect) tenses, two aspect forms—с о m m о n and continuous, and two voice forms—а с t i v e and passive.

THE IMPERATIVE MOOD

1. In the imperative mood the speaker urges the Person addressed to fulfill an action. This may be expressed in the form of a command, a request, a warning, etc,

The imperative mood has only one simple form for the second person singular and plural, and is the plain base-form of the verb:

Hurry! Leave the door open. Give me what help you can. Spare a little time. Go down the field and tell them to begin, Mind the whitewash!

In the 1^st and 3^rd person the combination let + infinitive, an equivalent of the imperative, is used:

Let him do this work. Let the boys get it out. Let her translate the leading article. Let us leave this place.

2. The subject of an imperative is seldom expressed unless it is emphatic. In Old English the pronoun-subject was gener­ally placed after the verb. This word order is still found in some set phrases: Look you! Mind you! Go you!

In Modern English it is placed before the verb in the usual place of the subject:

You take my place on the bench. You keep up fire. You sit here. You bring my book to-morrow. Never you mind what I came here for. "You go," Madeleine said, "while Dick and I stay here and make tea."

3. The negative imperative is formed by means of the aux­iliary to do even if we have the verb to be which in the indicative mood does not require that auxiliary:

Don't be late. (Compare: I am not late.) Do not forget. Do not make that mistake again. Do not fail to be there. Don't be so noisy. Unless the air is warm do not go out in the open.

4. The emphatic imperative is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb to do, followed by the infinitive:

Do tell me what he said. Do be silent.

5. Will you? very often follows the imperative. In such impera­tive sentences the order becomes modified by the addition of will you? into a kind of request:

Bring me my spectacles, will you? Just give me some money, will you?

THE OBLIQUE MOODS

The function of the oblique moods is to represent something in the speaker's mind not as a real fact, but as a wish, purpose, supposition, doubt or condition, prob­lematic or contrary to fact. When the speaker expresses his wish by using one of the oblique moods, he merely communicates to the hearer what he considers desirable. This is the main difference between the oblique moods and the Imperative. When using the imperative mood the speaker directly urges the person addressed to fulfill his order or request.

Be quiet.'—Here I want to produce an immediate effect, to bring about some actual changes in the existing state of things; I want a noisy person to become quiet as the result of my urging him to be so.

I wish you were quiet.—Here I merely inform the hearer of what 1 consider desirable, indicating at the same time that my wish con­tradicts the actual state of things (= you are not quiet).

I wish it were spring all the year round.—Here I communicate to the hearer a desire of mine which is a matter of mere imagination and can never be fulfilled.

It is impossible that he should have said such a thing.—Here I ex­press my doubt with regard to his having said such a thing.

If it were not so cold, I should go out.—It is cold and I don't go out; I only imagine the possibility of my going out if the weather were different from what it actually is.

It is necessary that you should go there.—Here I make a statement of what I consider to be indispensable, leaving the question of its realization open.

There are four oblique moods in Modern English, of which two are synthetical and two analytical.

The synthetical moods are: subjunctive I and subjunctive II.

The analytical moods are: the conditional and the suppositional.

Note.—The two synthetical moods (subjunctive I and subjunctive II) are often united under the general name of the subjunctive mood; the two analytical moods (the conditional and the suppositional) are regarded as equivalents of the subjunctive. In some grammars the ana­lytical moods (the conditional and the suppositional) are included into the sub­junctive mood as the analytical forms of the subjunctive.

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