What is Indicative Mood

Mood is a grammatical category that indicates how a verb should be regarded. It indicates whether the sentence conveys a fact, command, wish, uncertainty, etc. There are three principal moods in English, and they are indicative, subjunctive and imperative. In this article, we are going to talk about the indicative mood in depth.

The indicative mood is a grammatical category that forms factual statements and questions. They can also express opinions as if they were facts. Verbs of any tense or aspect can be used in the indicative mood. Sentences in indicative mood can be easily turned into negatives, interrogatives, passive and continuous forms. Indicative tense is the mood we use the most. If you consider a book, newspaper, or even a conversation, the indicative is the most used mood. In fact, this article is mainly written in the indicative mood.

Examples of Indicative Mood

Given below are some examples of sentences in the indicative mood.

The minister said that new policies will be implemented from next year onwards.

She lives most of the year in Prague but returns to England to visit her parents.

Did you understand this question?

She donated $10,000 to the Tsunami Relief Fund.

Recent flooding in Chennai cost India’s economy an estimated $3 billion in losses.

When did Cyprus join the United Nations?

He did not know that his daughter was waiting for him at home.

She will soon be appointed as the president of the association.

What is the main aim of International Monetary Fund?

This building is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

He didn’t understand the lesson, so his friend explained it to him.

She must be fired from her job immediately.

The dog is playing with the ball.

Indicative Mood vs Subjunctive Mood

The indicative mood is often contrasted with the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood is a special form that is used with non-factual statements. It is mainly used with hypothetical situations and conditions like wishes, advice, suggestions, commands, etc. The following examples will help you to understand the difference between indicative mood and the subjunctive mood.

Example 1:

He must attend this meeting.

It is important that he attend this meeting.

Example 2:

Sam must not attend the meeting. (negative sentence)

It is imperative that Sam not attend the meeting.

Example 3:

She should be hired immediately. (passive sentence)

I insist that she be hired immediately.