Declarative Mood for intermediate learners
There are different types of moods in English. Each shows a special manner toward the subject. In this article, we will focus on the declarative mood.
What Is Declarative Mood?
The declarative mood (also called the indicative mood) is one of the sets of verb forms in grammar that announce a fact or action. Sentences in this mood are all affirmative. Take a quick look at the examples below:
The declarative mood form is used for making statements.
I bought a new phone.
I'll be in Scotland over Christmas.
Punctuation
All sentences in declarative mood must end in a period. Take a look at the examples below:
He isn't old enough to drive a car.
You should tell the boss about your problem.
The Differences Between Declarative and Imperative Forms
The main difference between these two structures is that although both structures get periods at the end of the sentences, the imperative is used to give orders, and the declarative form is used to announce a fact. Remember to differentiate them from their meanings. Let us look at some examples below:
Close the door Anna.
Please note that both an exclamatory symbol '!' and a dot '.' can be used in the imperative form.
World War III is starting.
As you can see, the above statement is a simple announcement.
The Differences Between Declarative and Interrogative Forms
As their names suggest, the interrogative statement is used when we want to ask questions and always gets a question mark at the end of them, whereas declarative statements only announce a fact and get periods at the end of their sentences. Take a quick glance at the examples below:
Do you know who I am?
Here, the sentence is asking a question therefore it is an interrogative statement.
I want to talk to the manager.
As you can see, this is just an announcement which is a declarative statement.