English Grammar - Verbs and Mood

Verbs have moods, but these "moods" have nothing to do with human emotions such as anger, sadness, or excitement. The "mood" of a verb refers to how the writer presents an idea. The three moods are indicative, imperative, and subjunctive.

      The indicative mood is the one most often used. In general, it is used for situations when facts and reality, as opposed to guesses, wishes, or imagined situations, are the content of a sentence or clause.

            Melanie's mother takes in laundry four times a week.
            The Mississippi River is is one of the longest rivers in the world.

      The imperative forms direct commands.

            Study chapters 1-5 for the upcoming midterm exam.
            Call me tomorrow if you want to go rollerblading.

      The subjunctive mood generally signals that the action or state specified by the verb is the object of a wish, a hope or fear, a request, a conjecture, belief or hypothesis, or is for some reason unreal.

            If I were to study hard, I would probably ace the exam. (hypothetical)
            Margaret insists that he take the dog for a walk. (request)
            We had hoped to spend more time sight-seeing in Italy. (a hope)