The category of mood

The category of mood expresses the character of connection between the process denoted by the verb and actual reality from the point of view of the speaker (характер связи между процессом и реальностью с точки зрения действительности). Thus the category of mood implies two types of relations: the relation between the action and reality and the relation between the speaker and the first relation.

This category is realized through the opposition of the direct (indicative mood forms of the verb) and the oblique mood forms. The (indicative mood forms shows that the process is real. It took place in the past, takes place in the present or will take place in the future, the oblique mood forms shows that the process is unreal.

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For example, If only she helped me – Если бы она пришла мне на помощь! (сожаление).

Since (так как) all the oblique mood types share a common functional bases (the meaning of unreality) they may be terminologically united as subjunctive and then several types of the subjunctive can be distinguished according to the form of expression and various shades of unreality or the attitude of the speaker expressed.

1. The mood which may be called subjunctive I expresses various attitude of the speaker, desire, supposition, suggestion, inducement (побуждение; recommendation, request, command). Thus on the functional bases subjunctive I can be defined as the mood of attitude or ‘the spective mood’ (спективное наклонение). The form of subjunctive I is homonymous with the ‘bare infinitive’ (голый инфинитив – ничего кроме основы нет): no morpheme –s is added in the third person singular and the verb to be is used as the form be in all persons and numbers. For example: Whatever your mother say I won’t give up (обратим внимание что у глагола say нет окончания -s); I demand that the case be investigated thoroughly (Я требую чтобы это дело расследовали тщательно). The form of subjunctive I remains unchanged in the description of past events, for example: I demanded that the case be investigated thoroughly. In traditional grammar the so called imperative mood is distinguished. For example: open the door.

But there is basically no difference between the imperative and subjunctive I: the form is homonyms with the “bare infinitive” in both cases and the meaning is that of a hypothetical action treated as an object of desire, recommendation, supposition etc. The two can be substituted for each other in similar context, for example, Be careful! – I recommend you be careful! – I order you be careful! Thus the imperative mood can be treated as a subtype of subjunctive I. It must be admitted though that in British English subjunctive I has a certain stylistic flavor that the imperative does not have, for example, in high flown speech, poetic style. In American English subjunctive I is less restricted stylistically and is more widely used than in British English.

2. One more type of the oblique mood may be called subjunctive II. It is traditionally referred to as ‘modal spective’ (отношение) and is built with the help of modal verbs + infinitive and expresses the same semantic type of unreality as subjunctive I. There are some patterns of subjunctive II, for example, may/might + infinitive is used to denote wish, desire, hope, for example, May it be so! - (сравним с subjunctive I) - Be it so!; I hoped he might come soon – I hoped that he come soon; should + infinitive is used to express supposition, suggestion, recommendation, for example, Whatever your mother should say we’ll marry one day – Whatever your mother say we’ll marry one day.

3. The generalized meaning of subjunctive III can be defined as that of unreal condition. The form is homonymous with the past tense forms of the verbs in the indicative mood, except for the verb ‘to be’ which in all persons and numbers is used in the form ‘were’. Subjunctive III is used mostly in the subordinate clauses of complex sentences. For example, If she tried (she would manage it) - если бы она попробовала (в будущем) ей бы удалось, unreal condition; Even if she tried (she wouldn’t manage it) – даже если бы она попыталась у неё бы не получилось, concession (уступки); (She behaved) as if she tried very hard but failed – у неё не получилось ввести нас в заблуждение что мы поверили что она очень старается (unreal comparison); (It is high time) she tried to change the situation (пора бы ей уже изменить ход событий (отношение на будущее)) (urgency - срочно что-то сделать); (I wish) she tried harder (Жаль что она не старается как нужно или Хотелось бы чтобы она старалась как нужно) (unreal wish); If only she tried – Если бы она попыталась. Subjunctive III can be functionally defined as the ‘stipulative conditional’.

4. Subjunctive IV can is functionally defined as the ‘consecutive’ mood (следствие). The verbs denote the corresponding consequence of an unreal condition in the principle part (clause) of the complex sentence. The form of the verb is homonymous with the analytical future in the past tense forms of verbs in the indicative mood. For example, (If she tried) she would manage it.

Of major importance of category of mood is the problem of time expression in the subjunctive mood. Time is rendered relatively by means of the aspective category of retrospective coordination. The non – perfect forms of the verb in the subjunctive (past indefinite for Subjunctive III and future indefinite of the past for Subjunctive IV) express the relative present (simultaneity) or the relative future (posteriority) of unreal action. The perfect forms (past perfect for Subjunctive III and future perfect in the past for Subjunctive IV) are used to express relative past (priority) of unreal actions. For example, If she tried she would manage it (simultaneity or posteriority) (действие ещё может быть реализовано); If she had tried she would have managed it (priority) (мы знаем точно она не пыталась).