The category of mood

It is a well-known fact that the problem of the category of mood, i.e. the distinction between the real and the unreal expressed by the corresponding forms of the verb is the most controversial problems of English theoretical grammar. Very significant in connection with the theoretical standing of the category are the following words by B.A.Ilyish: ”The category of mood in the present English verb has given rise to so many discussions, and has been treated in so many different ways, that it seems hardly possible to arrive at any more or less convincing and universally acceptable conclusion concerning it”.

The category of mood expresses the character of connection between the process denoted by the verb and the actual reality, either presenting the process as a fact that really happened, happens or will happen, or treating it as an imaginary phenomenon. It follows from this that the functional opposition underlying the category as a whole is constituted by the forms of oblique mood meaning, i.e. those of unreality, contrasted against the forms of direct mood meaning, i.e. those of reality.

The number of moods in English is also one of the still unsettled problems. Older prescriptive grammar, besides the three commonly known moods, recognized a fourth – the infinitive mood. Many authors of English scientific grammars divide the subjunctive mood into several moods, such as the subjunctive proper (expressed by the synthetic forms), the conditional mood (expressed by the combinations of should / would + infinitive in the principal clause), the permissive and compulsive moods (expressed by the combinations of the infinitive + other modal verbs). The notion of the conditional mood has become quite popular with some Soviet grammarians who added two more oblique moods, the suppositional and subjunctive II.

There is no unity among the authors of scientific grammars as to the forms of the subjunctive mood. Some recognize only the synthetic forms (e.g. Jesperson’s point of view), others take into consideration both the synthetical and the analytical forms, including in the latter the combinations with all modal verbs. Some authors analyse the past tense forms of the indicative mood as the subjunctive mood forms because of the special meaning which they acquire in a certain context (Sweet, Curme).

We are going to discuss some points of view on this problem:

I. M. Ganshina, N. Vasilevskaya treat mood as the form of the verb which shows in what relation to reality the speaker places the action or state expressed by the predicate verb. The grammarians state that there are the following moods in English:

-the direct moods (the indicative and the imperative);

-the oblique moods (subjunctive I, subjunctive II, the suppositional and the con ditional).

II. H.Sweet by the mood of a verb understands grammatical forms expressing different relations between subject and predicate. He distinguishes:

- the indicative and the imperative moods;

- the subjunctive mood;

-the conditional mood (the combination of should/would + the infinitive, when used in the principal clause of conditional sentences);

• the permissive mood (the combination of may/might + the infinitive expressing wish , e.g. May you be happy!; purpose, e.g. Let the dog loose that he may run about a little) (Спусти собаку с цепи немного побегать).

• the compulsive mood (the combination of the finite forms of the verb to be + supine [‘su:pain] is to see, was to see, were to see). This combination is so called because it primarily expresses compulsion or obligation.

III. G.O.Curme views moods as the changes in the form of the verb to show the various ways in which the action or state is thought of by the speaker. There are three moods in his opinion in English: