Scribd
Upload
861 views6 pages

Modal Verbs

The document discusses modal verbs and their functions. Modal verbs can express levels of politeness, permission, obligation, probability and more. They have both primary meanings related to ability, permission, prediction, and secondary meanings related to probability. Examples are provided to illustrate how modal verbs are used and their past tense forms.

Uploaded by

Florencefrom Yt
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
861 views6 pages

Modal Verbs

The document discusses modal verbs and their functions. Modal verbs can express levels of politeness, permission, obligation, probability and more. They have both primary meanings related to ability, permission, prediction, and secondary meanings related to probability. Examples are provided to illustrate how modal verbs are used and their past tense forms.

Uploaded by

Florencefrom Yt
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Using the modal verbs we may, for example, ask

for permission to do something, grant permission


to someone, give or receive advice, make or
respond to requests and offers, give instructions or
orders, express duty or obligation etc.
Modal verbs can be used to express different
levels of politeness.
We can also use them to express different degrees
of probability.

Modal verbs have two major functions which can


be defined as primary (dictionary meaning) and
secondary (probability).
Primary functions of
modal verbs
 Ability  CAN
 Permission  MAY (might)/ CAN (could)
 Prohibition  MUSTN’T / CANNOT
 Prediction  WILL / SHALL / MAY
 Duty (escapable obligation)  SHOULD
 Obligation (inescapable)  MUST
 Request; Offer  CAN / WILL
 Possibility  CAN / CANNOT
 Absence of obligation  NEEDN’T
Secondary functions of modal verbs

In their secondary function, the modal verbs (except shall) can be used to
express the degree of certainty/uncertainty or probability.

 ALMOST CERTAIN
 MUST
 WILL
 WOULD
 OUGHT TO
 SHOULD
 CAN
 COULD
 MAY
 VERY UNCERTAIN  MIGHT
Some important grammar aspects
 The negative is formed by the addition of not after the modal.
 In informal spoken English not is often reduced to n’t.
 Modals in affirmative do not have contracted forms (except
for will and would: I’ll, I’d).
 In questions, the modal verbs behave like the auxiliary verbs:
do, have or be.
 Only one modal verb can be used in a single verb phrase.
 Tenses: all modals can refer to the immediate present or the
future, therefore ‘present’ is not always a reliable label ( I can
call him today / I can call him tomorrow).
 There is no progressive form for modals. But we can put the
verb that follows the modal into the progressive form.
 Verbs that share some characteristics with the modals:
be able/ have to / ought to / need
Check out these examples and analyse them.
 I can lift 25 kg. She can speak French.
 I couldn’t finish the job.
 You can go now.
 It can be quite cold in winter.
 He can’t be at home. He could have left last night.
 May I borrow your umbrella, please?
 You must do it. I had to do it. I’ll have to do it.
 We mustn’t forget our passports.
 You must have seen him.
 It must be Anna calling.
 You needn’t wait for me.
 The exam can’t have been difficult if he passed without studying.
 She should be at home by now.
 Shall I open the window?
Past tense of modals
 When the sentence refers to the primary meaning (can:
ability/permission, must: obligation) the past form is
expressed mainly by :
 Can: could / was(were) able or was(were) allowed
 Must: had to / was(were) obliged to

 When the sentence refers to the secondary meaning (can:


possibility/probability (or sth that could have happened but
didn’t happen), must: certainty) the past form is mainly
expressed by:
 Can: could + have + past participle
 Must: must + have + past participle

You might also like