1. Clauses and Moods by Prashanth Kamle
Under the guidance of Prof. Pushpak Bhattachharya
Department of Computer Science
IIT Bombay

2. Finite and Non-finite clauses

3. Types of clauses Finite Non-finite Verbs inflected by tense and person
I/he/she/it was late
You/we/they were late
Non-finite
Verbs are not inflected by tense and person

4. Non finite clauses - types
Infinitive – I've never known [ John to be so rude to anyone ]
Gerundial – We don't want [ it raining on your birthday ]
Past participle – I had [ my car stolen from the car park ]

5. Tests to detect finite/non-finite
Change tense/person and see whether verb gets inflected
It would be silly [ for me/you/him/her/us/them to hate science ]
It would be silly [ for him/her to hates science ]
It would have been silly [ for you/them to hated science ]
Any clause which contains a modal is finite
I know [ that you will/might/could/should hate science ]

6. Observations Clause containing inflected verb or modal is finite
Is the converse true?
Not always!
I know [ that you leave for Hawaii tomorrow ]
I demand [ that you leave for Hawaii tomorrow ]
Both indicative and subjunctive clauses are finite

7. Why are subjunctive clauses finite?
Both Indicative and Subjunctive clauses share certain morphosyntactic properties

8. Property 1
Both indicative and subjuntive clauses MUST take a subject, non-finite clauses can be subjectless
Indicative: I know [ that leaves for Hawaii tomorrow ]
Subjunctive: I demand [ that leave for Hawaii tomorrow ]
Infinitive: I intend [ to leave for Hawaii tomorrow ]
Gerund: I intend [ leaving for Hawaii tomorrow ]

9. Property 2
Subjunctive clauses pattern like indicative clauses with respect to case marking

10. Cases
English personal pronouns are typically said to have three morphological cases
Nominative I he we
they
Objective me
him us
them
Genetive my
his
our
their

11. Property 2 (contd)
Subject of subjunctive and indicative clauses are always assigned nominative case
I know [ that they/them/their leave for Hawaii tomorrow ]
I demand [ that they/them/their leave for Hawaii tomorrow ]
Subject of infinitive clauses is assigned objective case
I want [ them/their/they to leave for Hawaii tomorrow

12. Therefore, subjunctive clauses have been classified as finite
Property 2 (contd)
Gerund clauses take either objective or genetive case
I don't like the idea of [ them/their/they leaving for Hawaii tomorrow ]
Therefore, subjunctive clauses have been classified as finite

13. Moods

14. Mood
Mood is a term in grammar that identifies utterances as being statements, expressions of wish, commands, questions, etc
'Mood' is derived from 'mode', but at some stage the vowel changed by association with the completely different word 'mood', meaning a state of mind

15. Moods in English grammar
Declarative/Indicative
Subjunctive
Imperative
Interrogative
Conditional

16. Declarative mood a statement in the active voice of a verb
auxiliaries take their "usual" position following the 'subject'
He was seen
I am walking home.
They are singing.
He is not a dancer.
We are very happy.
a statement in the active voice of a verb
auxiliaries take their "usual" position following the 'subject'
He was seen
I am walking home.
They are singing.
He is not a dancer.
We are very happy.

17. Subjunctive mood Used to express counterfactual or if-then statements
Typically marked in the present tense by the auxiliary "were" plus the continuous (-ing) form of the verb
I am eating, so I will sit. (Factual/Declarative)
Were I eating, I would sit. (Counterfactual)
If they were eating, they would sit. (Counterfactual conditional / If-then)
God save the king (subjunctive)
If I were you... (subjunctive)

18. Conditional mood Denote or imply a probable future action
verbal auxiliaries could, would, should, may and might in combination with the root stem of the verb
I may think of quitting
You could go to the store
I might meet you tomorrow

19. Imperative mood used for commands or instructions
occurs only in the second person, and the subject ("you") is generally not explicitly stated
Listen!
Do not smoke here.
Let me do the talking.
Let them dance.

20. Interrogative mood Question
marked by starting a clause with an auxiliary verb or a WH-word
Can you do that?
What time is it?

21. References Transformational Grammar by Andrew Radford
Wikipedia article accessed 24 Aug 2009