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Glite Dictionary
declarative mood

declarative mood

6.9
A sentence that states a fact or gives information, like 'The sky is blue'
  • noun
  • /dɪˈklærətɪv muːd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : modo declarativo
  • The teacher explained that a sentence in the declarative mood presents information, such as 'The sky is blue.'

Examples

  • Wilson and Sperber take as illocutionary indicators the imperative and interrogative mood (and presumably the declarative mood as well, although they do not include it), along with the English question particle 'eh' and the dissociative particle 'huh.'

    Academic text (2006)

  • Encoded by the word oh are the explicatures "I heard you" and "I understood you" and, with the normal intonation, the declarative mood as well.

    Academic text (2006)

  • In English, the sentence 'She loves her dog' is in the declarative mood because it states a fact.

  • When forming a sentence like 'They are going to the park', it is in the declarative mood to indicate a statement.

Synonyms

indicative
vsdeclarative mood
  • Specialized
1 5.5

The verb mood used to state facts and ask questions

restricts use to making factual declarations and not to questions
declarative
vsdeclarative mood
  • Specialized
6.2

A sentence that states a fact or gives information

is the fuller phrase naming the same grammatical statement function
fact mood
vsdeclarative mood
  • Specialized
9.3

A form of a verb that shows a statement is a fact

focuses on making declarations rather than describing objective reality broadly
common mood
vsdeclarative mood
  • Specialized
9.3

The normal verb form used to state facts, for example 'He goes to school'

is used for making clear declarative statements rather than noting conditions
indicative mood
vsdeclarative mood
  • Specialized
6.5

A verb form that shows facts or asks questions

limits usage to making factual declarations rather than posing questions

Surface Forms

declarative mood singular
declarative moods plural

Morphology

declarative + mood

The meaning is directly and predictably composed from 'declarative' (stating or declaring) + 'mood' (a grammatical category), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes the mood used for factual statements. This is a standard grammatical term with cross-linguistic equivalents and follows ordinary compositional patterns, making it transparent to learners.

Etymology

The term declarative mood comes from the idea of 'declare' meaning to say something clearly, and mood meaning a way of speaking. So it names the sentence type we use to 'state' facts or give information.