The mood of a sentence is expressed by the verb and it indicates how the speaker feels about what is being written or the way the thought is being expressed. In other words, mood is the quality of a verb that conveys the writer's or speaker’s attitude toward a subject. It shows the mode and manner in which a thought is expressed.
Though the linguists have defined dozens of moods used in languages throughout the world, the most commonly discussed moods in English are indicative, imperative, and subjunctive.
Indicative mood is used to make factual statements. It expresses an assertion, denial, or question.
Examples - Priya is going to school /Is Priya going to school? / Priya is not going to school / We will go to see a movie this Sunday.
Imperative mood commands, instructs, begs, advises, encourages or suggests you to do something. However, the imperative does not typically have a subject. The subject of all imperative sentences is the unstated or implied ‘you’.
Examples – Just keep quiet and relax / Have a nice week end / please stop nagging / Be careful / Let’s go to see a movie this weekend.
Subjunctive mood is used to express a wish or possibility and is often used with an "if" clause. It shows something hypothetical or contrary to fact. It might be a wish, a desire, a doubt, or an imaginary situation. It can also express a demand or recommendation if it follows ‘that’.
Examples – If I were you, I would not buy that expensive car / May his soul rest in eternal peace / The rules require that each contestant should be properly dressed / Did you see the movie?
It should be noted here that, regardless of what the subject is, in the subjunctive mood, the verb ‘to be’ is always be in the present tense and ‘was’ in the past tense.
Incorrect: I wish I was able to speak English fluently. . Correct: I wish I were able to speak English fluently.