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Modal auxiliaries (CAN, MAY, MUST, WILL, etc.) are verb forms used to
express modality. There are also other verbs that express modality (have to, be to,
etc), and the modal preterit is found in conditional clauses.
English modals can express a judgment of an event but they cannot express its
realization: He had the keys; he could open the door (but we dont know if he did).
This judgment may also take the form of a personal opinion, an expression of will or
a wish: She may want to come; I would like her to come; I will come. In the
interrogative form, the subjectivity becomes that of the person to whom the question
is addressed: Would you like to come? May I close the door?
Different values :
1. pure will : negative context : The train is out of control. It wont stop. / He
wont change his mind. He wont budge. / It was so cold yesterday that the car
wouldnt start. Here will is attributed to the grammatical subject.
2. expression of future time : (prediction or will) The weather will be warm all
week. I will be absent next week. I wont be here next week. Ill wait for you
after class. Ill be waiting for you after class.
5. characteristic behavior : Hell talk on the phone for hours. When she was a
little girl, she would stay in her room and read all day.
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Shall
Present : shall (shall not, shant)
Past : should (should not, shouldnt)
Shall presents a subjective view, whereas will presents a necessity existing
independently of the utterers personal opinion.
Different values:
1. expression of future time (prediction or imposed will) : I shall look forward to
seeing you again (pure prediction). Offer or question about what is the best
course to follow : Shall I close the window? Shall we go to the opening?
What shall we do? Commitment of the speaker, solemn promise : You shall be
rewarded. Menace : You shall never set foot on my property again. Rule or
law : No one shall hold the floor for more than ten minutes. Solemn
prophecy : we shall overcome.
3. Attenuated obligation (moral) : You should read the paper more often. I
should get to bed earlier. You should have stayed another week.
1. aptitude, physical possibility: I am doing all I can. She can speak Russian.
Can you hear me?
past tense, modal value: If I could only speak to him again! Could you explain
your absence?
past tense, temporal value (indirect speech, narrative past) : She said she could
participate in the meeting. Before she could walk, she could swim.
4. directive, reproach, request : Do you know what that word means? No, but
you can/could look it up in the dictionary. You could have told me you were
coming! Could you help me with this job?
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5. slight probability : He could be at home.
May, Might
Present : may (may not)
Past : might (might not, mightnt)
May presents a subjective modal judgment whereas can presents a neutral view (He
can speak English; he may speak English).
Different values :
1. permission : You may now kiss the bride. You may borrow three books at a
time from the library. Might I use your cell phone? May I have some more,
please? If I may interrupt, I would like to add that you are perhaps mistaken
(here, one accords oneself permission).
6. an expression of unreality : If they had taken an earlier plane, they might still
be alive today (they are not alive).
8. concession : He may say he cant drive, but Im sure I saw him at the wheel of
your car.
9. suggestion; reproach : You might take the subway rather than a bus; it would
be quicker. You might have told me you were not going to go.
Must
Present : must
Present + negation : must not, mustnt
Necessity, presented as subjective.
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Different values :
1. obligation : You must obey my orders! I must stop worrying so much about
what tomorrow may bring. Must you always open your big mouth at the worst
moments?
2. the past : There is no preterit of must. For indirect speech in the past, the
present is used : She said he must have the operation. It was a difficult
decision to make, but he must make it. He realized that the situation was
deteriorating. He must leave. The situation was deteriorating. Eventually, he
had to leave.
3. strong probability : Shes not in class. She must be sick. You havent touched
your spinach. You must not like vegetables. He doesnt answer the door. He
must not be home. He must have been here this morning. I saw a light on at
about seven am.
4. must and have to : must expresses a necessity that originates with the utterer,
whereas have to does not specify the source of the necessity. Have to can
replace must, but must cannot replace have to. He mustnt stay. He doesnt
have to stay. The doctor says she must wear glasses. She has to wear glasses.
(See Chapter 8, GEA, for more details on the above.)
Ought
Preterit: ought (this verb form only exists in the preterit and always has a modal
value). Ought is followed by to: ought + to. Ought not; oughtnt.
Expression of an attenuated obligation or logical necessity.
Need
Present : need (the modal auxiliary exists only in this form); need not, neednt
Dont confuse the auxiliary modal need and the verb need. The is a clear syntactic
difference: Need I go?(modal) Do I need to go? (verb)
2. in the past tense, need + have + -en : You neednt have hurried. Were all still
waiting for the teacher to show up.
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3. See page 117 in GEA (chapter 10) for an explanation of differences between
must, need not, and have to. You might also like to read the explanation of the
uses of the modal DARE.
Have to : have functions as a verb; its negative and interrogative forms are formed
with the auxiliary do.
Basic meaning: necessity seen as neutral (independent of the utterers viewpoint).
1. obligation : It was raining so hard that we had to cancel the picnic. You have
to help me with this exercise or Im going to fail the test.
2. logical necessity : I cant find my keys, but they have to be here somewhere.
Youd have to be a glutton for punishment to want to take this class.
Be to :