1 Modal
Auxiliaries
Modal verbs are a kind of
auxiliary verb. They facilitate the main verb for suggesting potential,
expectation, permission, ability, possibility, and obligation.
When used with the main
verb, modal verbs do not end with -s for the third-person singular. Modal auxiliary verbs
never change form, but they have a different form for past tense.
The modal auxiliaries include:
|
Present Tense |
Past Tense |
|
Will Can Must (have to) May Should (ought to) (had
better) |
Would (used to) Could (Had
to) Might Should (ought to) |
NB: The words in parentheses ( ) are semi-modals. They have the
same meaning, but they are different grammatically.
1.1.1.1
Will – Would
Will indicates a
‘willingness’ to do something in the future. The negative form of will – will not (won’t) indicates an
‘unwillingness’ (refusal, reluctance) to do something.
Example:
o I will
give you another opportunity.
o I will
play tomorrow.
o They
will arrive at 10 AM.
o She
won’t come today.
Would indicates general or repeated willingness in the
past. It also indicates preference in the present.
Example:
o If you
did not leave, I would still be taking care of you.
o Whenever
I had to go there, they would throw a party.
o We
thought that people would buy this book.
o If I
were you, I would not do it.
o I would
like to make a toast.
Used to sometimes
replaces would but sometimes it
would be grammatically incorrect if we use used to in place of would.
Example:
o When I
was in school, I used to make sketches.
o He
often used to cry at night without reason.
o I used
to take a break at this time of the year.
1.1.1.2
Can – Could – May – Might
These modals express possibility and ability.
Can indicates
ability. Could indicates ability
with an option.
Example:
o I can
do it. (The subject ‘I’ is sure about his/her ability)
o I
could do it. (The subject ‘I’ is not sure about his/her ability)
o They
cannot do it. (present)
o They
could not do it. (past)
Can & could also indicate
possibility.
Example:
o The
temperature can rise this month.
o They
can’t go too far by now.
o It could
rain later.
May and might both indicate
possibility but might can suggest that there is less possibility than may.
Example:
o It may
rain later.
o It
might rain later.
o They
may come back.
o They
might come back.
1.1.1.3
Must
Must indicates necessity.
Example:
o I must
leave now.
o He
must study hard.
o Alex
must go home by 6.00 pm.
Have to has the similar
meaning to must but implies less urgency.
Example:
o I have
to leave now.
o He has
to study hard.
o Alex
has to go by 6.00 pm.
o I had
to leave then. (past)
o He had
to study hard to pass the exam. (past)
1.1.1.4
Should
Should indicates obligation
and probability.
Example:
o You
should come home early.
o You
should not smoke at all.
o I
should visit my parents more often.
o There
should be an extra key for the lock in the drawer. (probability)
o He
should have reached by now. (probability)
o I
should have done that. (obligation in the past)
Ought to and had better sometimes
replaces should.
Example:
o You
ought to come home early.
o We
ought to have taken a taxi. (Past)
o We had
better leave. (Had better is generally used
in spoken English.)
o I
think parents ought to give children more freedom. (Had
better won’t be appropriate here.