How the English modal auxiliaries workThe most common of the
modal auxiliaries—
modals for short—are these 10 ever-handy fixtures of the English language: “can,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “must,” “should,” “ought to,” “shall,” “will,” and “would.” These verb forms engage in the fine art of calibrated affirmation or negation.
IMAGE CREDIT: ENGLISHOUR.IEAt their most basic, these modals denote the following unique levels of affirmation:
1. “Can” indicates current ability, in the same sense as “able to.” Example: “I
can improve my English if I want to.” Here, “can” works with an operative verb, “improve,” to create that sense.
2. “Could” indicates an ability sometime in the past. Example: “I told him that I
could dance all night if I wanted to.” Here, “could” works with the operative verb “dance” to create that sense.
3. “May” indicates a weak possibility, or asks for and gives permission. Examples (possibility): “Evelyn
may be qualified for the job.” (permission) “
May I see your work?” “Yes, you
may.”
4. “Might” indicates a stronger possibility than “may.” Example: “Patricia
might be a better choice for the job.”
5. “Must” indicates an obligation or necessity, or, in the present tense, certainty. Examples (obligation): “You
must come to our branch to get the bonus points.” (certainty) “There’s light in the bedroom; Jessica
must still be awake.”
6. “Should” indicates an advice or an obligation of a somewhat lesser degree than “must,” or a degree of certainty of a somewhat lesser degree than “must.” Examples (advice): “You
should pick up your sister from the airport.” (obligation) “I
should get a cellphone for my son.” (certainty) “The moon has risen; Jennifer
should be out of the house by now.”
7. “Ought to” indicates an obligation of a degree somewhat more than “should” and somewhat less than “must.” Example: “You
ought to read our brochure before making that trip.”
8. “Shall” indicates a suggestion, option, or intention to do something. Examples (suggestion, option): “
Shall we go now?” (intention) “We
shall march to the enemy’s camp and fight them.”
9. “Will” indicates a willingness to do something in the present. Examples: “
Will she like the idea?” “I wonder if she
will want to go with me.”
10. “Would” indicates a past or present willingness to do something, or an invitation to do something. Examples: (past willingness) “I asked her if she
would dance with me.” (present willingness) “Ask her if she
would like to go.” (invitation) “
Would you care for a cup of tea?”
These modals work not only in the affirmative but also in the negative sense. To form their negative equivalents, we pair off the modal with the adverb “not” or “no,” except with “should,” “must,” and “ought to.” See how modals calibrate negativeness: “She
cannot understand why he left all of a sudden.” “May I drive the car? No, you
may not.”
In the case of “should,” “must,” and “ought to,” they can’t work with “not” either to form the negative. They pair off with the phrase “don’t have to” or “need not” instead. It is, for instance, wrong to say, “I must get a visa to visit Rome, but I
must not get one for Hong Kong.” The correct ways: “I must get a visa to visit Rome, but I
don’t have to get one for Hong Kong.” “I
need not get a visa for Hong Kong.”
Modals differ from ordinary verbs in two other ways. Unlike the typical verb, which takes distinct forms depending on tense, a modal has a single, unchanging form, and never ends in “-s,” even in sentences in the third person singular. And except for “could,” which can serve as the past tense of “can,” the modal forms don’t work in the past tense.
We’re now done with our full-dress review of the English verbs.
(Next:
“Which,” “that,” and other grammar pitfalls) December 6, 2018
This essay, 1,120th of the series, appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the November 29, 2018 print edition of The Manila Times
, © 2018 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.
