Grade 8 ELA Practice Test: Verb Moods (Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive and More)
- Verb Moods
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
These 10 questions practice the five verb moods taught in grade 8. Tip: the subjunctive often appears after "if" or "wish" in situations that are not true, as in "If I were you."
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Turn off the lights before you leave.
Which mood is used in this sentence?
Correct answer: B
The sentence gives a command, and the subject "you" is understood. Commands and requests are in the imperative mood.
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Question 2
If I were taller, I would try out for the basketball team.
The underlined verb is in which mood?
Correct answer: C
The speaker is not actually taller, so "were" expresses a situation contrary to fact. That is the subjunctive mood, which uses "were" even with "I."
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Question 3
The bus leaves the station at 7:15 every morning.
Which mood is used in this sentence?
Correct answer: A
The sentence states a fact. Statements of fact and opinion are in the indicative mood, the most common mood in English.
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Question 4
Which sentence is in the conditional mood?
Correct answer: D
The conditional mood describes what would happen under a certain condition, often with "would." The other sentences are imperative, indicative and interrogative.
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Question 5
The coach insists that every player ______ on time.
Which verb correctly completes the sentence in the subjunctive mood?
Correct answer: A
After verbs of demand or insistence such as "insist," the subjunctive uses the base form of the verb with no -s: "that every player arrive."
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Question 6
Did you finish reading the last chapter?
Which mood is used in this sentence?
Correct answer: D
The sentence asks a question, so it is in the interrogative mood.
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Question 7
I missed the concert last night. I wish I ______ there.
Which verb form correctly completes the sentence?
Correct answer: B
The wish is about a past event that did not happen, so it needs the past perfect "had been." "Would be" refers to the future, but the concert is already over.
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Question 8
Which sentence contains an inappropriate shift in verb mood?
Correct answer: C
The sentence starts with a command (imperative) and then switches to a statement with "you should". Instructions should stay in one mood, as in "Preheat the oven, and then grease the pan."
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Question 9
If I was the principal, I would make lunch longer.
Which revision correctly uses the subjunctive mood?
Correct answer: B
The speaker is not the principal, so the contrary-to-fact clause needs "were." "If I am" does not match "would," and "If I be" is not standard English.
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Question 10
Which sentence uses the imperative mood to give a warning?
Correct answer: A
"Watch out" is a command addressed to the reader, so it is imperative. The other sentences state a fact, ask a question and describe an unreal situation.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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