Mood

What is mood?

Grammatical mood pertains to the usage of verbs in expressing a specific meaning by the speaker or writer. In linguistic terms, moods can be classified into two primary categories: realis moods, which signify what is factual or accurate, and irrealis moods, which indicate what is hypothetical, unreal, or untrue.

(문법적 mood (법)는 말을하는자나 글을쓰는이가 특정 의미를 전달하기 위해 동사를 사용하는것에 관한 것인데 언어학적 용어로서, mood (법)는 주로 두 가지 범주로 구분된다. Realis (현실적) 또는 Indicative mood (직설법)즉 사실적이거나 정확한 것을 나타내는 mood와, Irrealis (비현실 법) 즉, 가상의 것, 또는 부정확한 것을 나타내는 “mood (법)”가 있다.)

Realis moods (the indicative mood) (현실 또는 직설법)

The indicative mood is a grammatical mood that is utilized for expressing facts, statements, opinions, or questions and is the sole realis mood in English. It is employed in all verb tenses for the construction of declarative sentences, which are statements or assertions, and interrogative sentences, which are questions.

(Indicative mood (직설법)는 사실, 진술, 견해 또는 질문을 표현하기 위해 사용되는 문법적 mood (법)로, 영어에서 유일한 realis mood(현실적 법)이다. Declarative sentence (선언적 문장) 즉, 진술, 주장 또는 의문문 (질문)을 구성하기 위해 모든 동사 시제에서 사용된다.)

For example:

• “She graduated last year with a doctorate in neuroscience.” (declarative sentence in the past simple tense)
• “He is taking his exam at the new testing center.” (declarative sentence in the present continuous tense)
• “Are you going to give your speech tomorrow?” (interrogative sentence in the future simple tense)

The indicative mood is the most commonly used grammatical mood in English.

Irrealis Moods (비현실법)

The word “irrealis” signifies something that is not real, and it pertains to grammatical moods that convey what is not true.
English has two irrealis moods: the subjunctive mood and the imperative mood.

(Irrealis Mood (비현실법)는 실제가 않닌 것을 의미하며, 사실이 아닌 것을 전달하는 문법적 mood (법)을 표현한다.
두가지 irrealis mood (비현실법)이 있는데 subjunctive mood (가정법)와 imperative mood (명령법) 가 있다.)

Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood refers to a grammatical mood that conveys hypothetical or unreal actions, events, or situations. Unlike the indicative mood, which presents factual and non-hypothetical information, the subjunctive mood is typically utilized to express desires, directives, recommendations, appeals, or assertions of necessity, as well as to depict hypothetical consequences that hinge on specific conditions.

(“Subjunctive mood (가정법)”는 가정적이거나 비현실적인 행동, 사건 또는 상황을 전달하는 문법적 mood (법)를 나타낸다. 사실적이고 가정적이지 않은 정보를 제공하는 “Indicative mood (직설법)”와는 달리, “Subjunctive mood (가정법)”는 보통 desire (욕구), directive (지시), recommendation (권고), appeal (청원), assertion of necessity (필요성에 대한 주장), 특정 조건에 따라 달라지는 가정적 결과를 묘사하기 위해 사용된다.”)
For example:

• “I wish I didn’t have to go to work.” (wish)
• “He demanded that they leave the room at once.” (command)
• “I recommend that she study harder next time.” (suggestion)
• “I ask that the audience be completely silent during the demonstration.” (request)
• “It’s necessary that we be vigilant to avoid another disaster.” (statement of necessity)
• “If I had been more prepared, I would have passed that test.” (hypothetical condition)

There are very specific ways we conjugate verbs to create the subjunctive mood; continue on to that section to learn more.

Imperative Mood

Although the subjunctive mood can be utilized to convey commands or requests, it is gradually declining in usage in contemporary English. Conversely, the imperative mood is now commonly used to create imperative sentences, which are used to give straightforward orders, commands or general instructions. This mood is deemed irrealis since it indicates an action that hasn’t happened and may not happen. To construct an imperative sentence, the infinitive form of the verb is employed without the inclusion of “to”, and the subject of the verb is not expressed.

(비록 명령이나 요청을 전달하기 위해 subjunctive mood (가정법)를 사용할 수 있지만, 현대 영어에서는 이것의 사용이 서서히 감소하고 있다. 대조적으로, 소위 명령법(imperative mood)은 단순한 지시, 명령적 지시를 표현하는 문구를 만들어 내는데 사용된다. Imperative mood (명령법)는 일어나지 않은 일을 나타내는 것이므로 비현실적(irrealis)이라고 간주된다. 명령법 문장을 구성할 때는, 동사의 동사원형이 ‘to’를 생략하고 동사의 주어 또한 사용치 않는다.)

For example:

• “Turn off the light before you leave.”
• “Go to bed!”

Imperative sentences typically omit the subject, but instead, use a vocative or noun of address to directly address the person to whom the command is directed, as evident.

(명령문에서는 주어가 생략되는 경우가 일반적이며, 그 대신 명령이 주어지는 대상을 직접 호칭하는 명사나 단어가 사용된다)

For example:

• “John, please turn out that light.”
• “Stand up, Janet.”
• “Be quiet, sir!”
• “You there, pay attention!”

To learn more about how we form and use sentences in the imperative mood, see the section Imperative Sentences in the chapter on Sentences.

Other moods

In English grammar, there are three primary grammatical moods, namely indicative, subjunctive, and imperative. Some grammar guides may also include two subcategories, known as the “emphatic mood” and “infinitive mood,” which are sometimes referred to as moods. However, this guide does not consider them as separate grammatical moods, but it is worth mentioning them for general reference purposes.

(영어 문법에서는 주로 직설법(indicative), 가정법(subjunctive) 및 명령법(imperative)의 세 가지 기본적인 mood (법)이 있다고 보면된다. 그러나 다른 문법 안내서에서는 때로 “강조 법(emphatic mood)”과 “무한법(infinitive mood)”이라는 두 가지 하위 범주를 법으로 지칭하기도 하지만 이 안내서에서는 이러한 법들을 별개의 법으로 간주하지는 않기에 일반 참고용으로 언급하는 것이다.)

Emphatic mood

The “emphatic mood” refers to the use of the auxiliary verb do to add emphasis to a verb that would otherwise not require an auxiliary.
We usually use emphatic do to stress the fact that something is the case.
For example:

• “Yes, I do know that we are meeting your parents tonight.”
• “Well, she does have a Ph.D., after all.”

We can also use do to add emphasis to demands or requests, as in:

• “Do be careful, John.”
• “Oh, do be quiet!”

However, the use of do in such imperative sentences is now rather formal and old fashioned.

Infinitive mood

The term “infinitive mood” simply describes the state of a verb when it’s used in its base form with the particle “to“, which is also known as the infinitive form.

(“부정사법” (Infinitive Mood)이란 기본형에 전치사 (particle) “to”가 붙어 형성된 infinitive form (부정사 형태)를 가지는 동사의 상태를 설명하는 것임.)

For example:

• “To be loved is a wonderful thing.”

The infinitive phrase “to be loved” is formed by using the infinitive “to be” as a noun and making it the subject of the sentence. Although infinitives can play various roles in a sentence, they don’t act as a complete verb, and that’s why they are not classified as one of the main grammatical moods in English.

(