1. Verb Mood
Content derived from JEA’s Magazine, Communication: Journalism Education Today
Editing

2. Verb mood
The verb expresses actions, events or states of being about the subject of the sentence. It is the critical element of the predicate of a sentence.
A verb can be in one of three moods:
indicative, imperative or subjunctive.

3. Verb mood
The mood of a verb or verb phrase indicates a speaker’s attitude toward a statement as he or she makes it.

4. Verb mood
If the statement is a fact, the verb mood should be indicative.
If it is a command, the mood should be imperative.
But if it is a wish, recommendation or imaginary condition, the mood should be subjunctive.

5. Indicative Most verbs in journalistic writing use the indicative mood.
This indicates the need for factual certainty — reporting readers or listeners can count on.

6. Indicative
Present indicative - The editor sits at the computer with the business manager until they have checked page assignments for all ads.
Future indicative - She will bring her logo and her information to the journalism lab.

7. Indicative
Past indicative - The business owner called to make an appointment with the advertising staff.
Past indicative, verb to be - The ad designer was tired.

8. Indicative
Forceful writing begins with the active voice, which requires writers to know who or what is responsible for the action — essential information for all journalistic writing.
As a result, good copy naturally utilizes the indicative mood, which gives a straightforward description of the action or decision.

9. Imperative
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests. The understood subject is “you.”

10. Imperative
Sell 200 inches of advertising so the magazine can publish the graduation issue.
For basketball season, plan a special advertising issue for the playoffs.
Do not talk on your phone while waiting for the manager to appear.

11. Imperative
Journalists rarely use the imperative mood except when incorporating direct quotes into their stories.
It is especially effective to show instructions given by administrators, teachers and coaches.

12. Imperative
Weakness:
When opinion writers resort to the imperative, their opinion strays from persuasion to a preachy lecture. Journalists should make it a priority to avoid the imperative mood in their own work.

13. Subjunctive
When verbs show something contrary to fact, they are in the subjunctive mood, which is a disappearing form in the English language.
When expressing a wish or something that is not actually true, use the past tense or past perfect tense.

14. Subjunctive
If the manager were here, she would have signed the ad contract. (implied: but she didn’t)
I wish I had the correct font for correcting this ad design. (implied: but I don’t)
It would be better if the staff had mapped businesses before the campaign. (implied: but they didn’t prepare the map)

15. Subjunctive
Except for the verb “be,” the past tense subjunctive is indistinguishable in form from the past tense indicative.
The past tense subjunctive of “be” is “were.”

16. Subjunctive Past tense indicative:
The ad campaign continued for two weeks.
Past tense subjunctive (verb to be):
If the ad campaign were longer, it would be more successful.