What
is Modal Auxiliaries?
Modal Auxiliary is a
type of verb that is used to indicate modality
(that is, likelihood, ability, permission, and obligation.). Modal phrases are
used to express the same things as modals, but are a combination of auxiliary
verbs and the preposition to. The modal in English is can, could, will, would, should, may, might, must, ought and shall
What to keep in mind
when using modals
Explanation
|
Sample
sentences
|
Do not use
modals for things which happen definitely.
|
The sun rises in
the east. - A modal can't be used in this sentence.
|
They have no -s in
the 3rd person singular.
|
He can play football.
|
Questions are formed without do/does/did.
|
Can he speak Spanish?
|
It follows a main
verb in its infinitive.
|
They must read the
book.
|
There are no
past froms (except could and would).
|
He was
allowed to watch the film.
|
When you use the past
particple you tell about things whichdid not happen in the past.
|
You should have told me.
|
Let's
look at each modal verb separately, and the functions they help to express:
WILL
Making
personal predictions
- I don't think the Queen
will ever abdicate.
- I doubt if I'll stay
here much longer.
Talking
about the present with certainty (making deductions)
- I'm sure you will
understand that there is nothing the Department can do.
- There's a letter for
you. It'll be from the bank: they said they'd be writing.
Talking
about the future with certainty
- I won't be in the
office until 11; I've got a meeting.
- Don't bother ringing:
they'll have left for their 10 o'clock lecture.
Talking
about the past with certainty
- I'm sure you will have
noticed that attendance has fallen sharply.
Reassuring
someone
- Don't worry! You'll
settle down quickly, I'm sure.
- It'll be all right! You
won't have to speak by yourself.
Making
a decision
- For the main course
I'll have grilled tuna.
- I'm very tired. I think
I'll stay at home tonight.
Making
a semi-formal request
- Will you open the
window, please? It's very hot in here.
- Sign this, will you?
Offering
to do something
- You stay there! I'll
fetch the drinks.
Insistence;
habitual behaviour
- I'm not surprised you
don't know what to do! You will keep talking in class.
- Damn! My car won't
start. I'll have to call the garage.
Making
a promise or a threat
- You can count on me!
I'll be there at 8 o'clock sharp.
- If you don't finish
your dinner off, you'll go straight to bed!
SHALL
Shall is a form of
will, used mostly in the first person. Its use, however, is decreasing, and in
any case in spoken English it would be contracted to "-ll" and be
indistinguishable from will.
The only time you do
need to use it is in questions, when:
Making
offers
- Shall I fetch you
another glass of wine?
Making
suggestions
- Shall we go to the
cinema tonight?
MAY
& MIGHT
May & might
sometimes have virtually the same meaning; they are used to talk about
possibilities in the past, present or future. ("Could" is also
sometimes used).
May is sometimes a
little bit "more sure" (50% chance); whereas might expresses more
doubt (maybe only a 30% chance).
May & might are
used, then, for:
Talking
about the present or future with uncertainty
- She may be back in her
office: the lecture finished ten minutes ago.
- I may go shopping
tonight, I haven't decided yet.
- England might win the World
Cup, you never know.
Talking
about the past with uncertainty
- I'm surprised he
failed. I suppose he might have been ill on the day of the exam.
They can also sometimes
be used for talking about permission, but usually only in formal situations.
Instead of saying May I open a window? we would say Is it all right/OK if I
open a window? or Can I open a window? for example. You might, however, see:
- Students may not borrow
equipment without written permission.
MAY
Talking
about things that can happen in certain situations
- If the monitors are
used in poorly lit places, some users may experience headaches.
- Each nurse may be
responsible for up to twenty patients.
With
a similar meaning to although
- The experiment may have
been a success, but there is still a lot of work to be done. (= Although it was
a success, there is still ...)
MIGHT
Saying
that something was possible, but did not actually happen
- You saw me standing at
the bus stop! You might have stopped and given me a lift!
WOULD
As
the past of will, for example in indirect speech
- "The next meeting
will be in a month's time" becomes
- He said the next meeting
would be in a month's time.
Polite
requests and offers (a 'softer' form of will)
- Would you like another
cup of tea?
- Would you give me a
ring after lunch?
- I'd like the roast
duck, please.
In
conditionals, to indicate 'distance from reality': imagined, unreal, impossible
situations
- If I ruled the world,
every day would be the first day of Spring.
- It would have been
better if you'd word processed your assignment.
After
'wish', to show regret or irritation over someone (or something's) refusal or
insistence on doing something (present or future)
- I wish you wouldn't
keep interrupting me.
- I wish it would snow.
(This is a complicated
area! Check in a good grammar book for full details!)
Talking
about past habits (similiar meaning to used to)
- When I was small, we
would always visit relatives on Christmas Day.
Future
in the past
- The assassination would
become one of the key events of the century.
CAN
& COULD
Talking
about ability
- Can you speak Mandarin?
(present)
- She could play the piano
when she was five. (past)
Making
requests
- Can you give me a ring
at about 10?
- Could you speak up a
bit please? (slightly more formal, polite or 'softer')
Asking
permission
- Can I ask you a
question?
- Could I ask you a
personal question? (more formal, polite or indirect)
Reported
speech
- Could is used as the
past of can.
- He asked me if I could
pick him up after work.
General
possibility
- You can drive when
you're 17. (present)
- Women couldn't vote
until just after the First World War.
Choice
and opportunities
- If you want some help
with your writing, you can come to classes, or you can get some 1:1 help.
- We could go to
Stratford tomorrow, but the forecast's not brilliant. (less definite)
Future
probability
Could (NOT can) is
sometimes used in the same way as might or may, often indicating something less
definite.
- When I leave university
I might travel around a bit, I might do an MA or I suppose I could even get a
job.
Present
possibility
- I think you could be
right you know. (NOT can)
- That can't be the right
answer, it just doesn't make sense.
Past
possibility
- If I'd known the
lecture had been cancelled, I could have stayed in bed longer.
MUST
Examples here refer to
British English; there is some variation in American English.
Necessity
and obligation
Must is often used to
indicate 'personal' obligation; what you think you yourself or other
people/things must do. If the obligation comes from outside (eg a rule or law),
then have to is often (but not always) preferred:
- I really must get some
exercise.
- People must try to be
more tolerant of each other.
- You musn't look -
promise?
- If you own a car, you have
to pay an annual road tax.
Strong
advice and invitations
- I think you really must
make more of an effort.
- You must go and see the
film - it's brilliant.
- You must come and see
me next time you're in town.
Saying
you think something is certain
- This must be the place
- there's a white car parked outside.
- You must be mad.
- What a suntan! You must
have had great weather.
The negative is
expressed by can't:
- You're going to sell
your guitar! You can't be serious!
- She didn't wave - she
can't have seen me.
SHOULD
Giving
advice
- I think you should go
for the Alfa rather than the Audi.
- You shouldn't be
drinking if you're on antibiotics.
- You shouldn't have
ordered that chocolate dessert - you're not going to finish it.
Obligation:
weak form of must
- The university should
provide more sports facilities.
- The equipment should be
inspected regularly.
Deduction
- The letter should get
to you tomorrow - I posted it first class.
Things
which didn't or may/may not have happened
- I should have renewed
my TV licence last month, but I forgot.
- You shouldn't have
spent so much time on that first question.
Ought
to
Ought to usually has
the same meaning as should, particularly in affirmative statements in the
present:
- You should/ought to get
your hair cut.
Should is much more
common (and easier to say!), so if you're not sure, use should.
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with
the correct form of the following modals:
can, could, be able to, may, might, shall, should, must, have to, don’t have
to, need to
– You may have to make the modals negative according to the context of the
sentence.
– There may be more than one possibility.
- He has to take his
car to be serviced. The brakes are squeaking.
- Would you
please save me a seat at the dinner event.
Questions:
- If you are sick, you ________ go to
work. You’ll infect everyone there.
- Drivers _______ stop at red lights.
- You _______ finish the proposal
today. You can finish it tomorrow.
- She ______ hear much better with
her new hearing aids.
- ______ I order us a bottle of wine?
- Sam ______ pick his daughter up
from school. She’s taking the bus home.
- You _____________ smoke here. It’s
a smoke-free building.
- You ________ eat so many sweets.
They are bad for you.
- _________ you mind walking a little
faster? We’re going to be late.
- I’m sorry. I _______ help you. I
don’t know how to do it.
Answers:
- shouldn’t
- must
- don’t have to
- can
- shall
- needn’t
- mustn’t
- shouldn’t
- would
- can’t
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_verb
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/hilfsverben1.htm
http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/Grammar%20Guides/3.07%20Modals.htm
http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/verbs/modal-verbs/