Editing Linguistics (section)

=== Mood ===
Conveys the speaker's '''attitude''' towards the action or state described by the verb, indicating '''modality''' - the manner in which the action is regarded or related to reality. Unlike tense, which places actions or states in time, and aspect, which describes the nature of the action's flow, mood deals with the speaker's perspective on the <u>certainty</u>, <u>necessity</u>, or <u>desirability</u> of the event, among other nuances.

* The '''indicative mood''' is the most common, used for stating facts or asking questions. It presents the action or state as <u>real</u>, <u>actual</u>, or <u>certain</u>. "She goes to school" (a statement of fact).
* The '''imperative mood''' is used for commands, requests, or prohibitions; it directly addresses the listener and expresses a '''directive'''. "Go to school!" (a command).
* The '''subjunctive mood''' is used to express wishes, hypothetical situations, demands, or conditions contrary to fact. It often indicates something <u>desired</u>, <u>possible</u>, or <u>imagined</u>. "If she were president, she would change the law" (a hypothetical situation).
* The '''conditional mood''' indicates actions or states that are dependent on certain conditions. It often expresses <u>hypothetical</u> outcomes and is sometimes considered a subcategory of the subjunctive. "She would go to school if she woke up early" (a condition and its potential outcome).
* The '''optative mood''' is found in some languages, expressing <u>wishes</u> or <u>hopes</u>. "May you have a long life!" (a wish).
* The '''jussive mood''' is used to express <u>commands</u>, <u>suggestions</u>, or <u>necessity</u>, often in the first or <u>third person</u>. "Let us pray" (a suggestion or command).

* The '''potential mood''' expresses <u>possibility</u> or <u>capability</u>. "She might go to school" (a possibility).

* The '''interrogative mood''' is recognized by some linguists, used for asking questions. "Does she go to school?" (a question).

Mood is closely related to modality, which more broadly refers to the speaker's attitude regarding the likelihood, necessity, or obligation of the action or state. Modality can be expressed through mood, but also through '''modal verbs''' ("can," "must," "should"), adverbs, or other linguistic means, depending on the language.

The expression and classification of mood can vary significantly across languages. Some languages have distinct morphological markers for mood, with specific verb forms for the subjunctive, conditional, or imperative moods. In other languages, mood may be indicated more subtly through context, word order, particles, or the use of modal auxiliary verbs without distinct morphological changes to the main verb. While the moods listed above are relatively common, individual languages may have additional moods or lack some of these categories altogether.