Verb Moods and Verbals

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What is a verb mood?

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A verb mood is a form of a verb that expresses the attitude of the speaker toward the action of the verb. Common moods include indicative, imperative, subjunctive, and interrogative.

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What is an infinitive?

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An infinitive is the base form of a verb, usually preceded by 'to'. It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.

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Example of an infinitive used as a noun.

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In the sentence 'Mr. Welge wants to surf.', 'to surf' is the infinitive used as a noun.

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What is a gerund?

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A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing and functions as a noun in a sentence.

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Example of a gerund in a sentence.

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In the sentence 'Sledding is a cold weather activity for Ms. Schillinger's dog, Roxy.', 'sledding' is a gerund.

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What is a participle?

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A participle is a verb form that can function as an adjective. It often ends in -ed or -ing.

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Example of a participle used as an adjective.

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In the phrase 'the running water', 'running' is a participle describing 'water'.

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What is the subjunctive mood?

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The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, hypotheticals, or conditions contrary to fact.

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Example of a sentence in the subjunctive mood.

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In the sentence 'I wish you would close the door.', the verb 'would close' is in the subjunctive mood.

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What is the interrogative mood?

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The interrogative mood is used to ask questions.