Shifts in verb mood

There are three moods in English:

The following passage shifts confusingly from the indicative to the imperative mood.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: The officers advised us not to allow anyone into our homes without proper identification. Also, alert neighbors to our vacation schedules. Revised sentence: The officers advised us not to allow anyone into our homes without proper identification. They also suggested that we alert neighbors to our vacation schedules.

Since the writer’s purpose was to report the officers’ advice, the revision puts both sentences in the indicative.

Exercises:

Shifts: mood and voice, questions and quotations 1

Shifts: mood and voice, questions and quotations 2

All shifts 1

All shifts 2

Editing for shifts