Modals

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Modals

Posted by Aryan Panwar 7 years, 9 months ago

CBSE > Class 06 > English (OLD)

1 answers

Kritika Trehan 7 years, 9 months ago

A modal is a type of auxiliary (helping) verb that is used to express: ability, possibility, permission or obligation. Modal phrases (or semi-modals) are used to express the same things as modals, but are a combination of auxiliary verbs and the preposition to. The modals and semi-modals in English are:

Can/could/be able to
May/might
Shall/should
Must/have to
Will/would

<th bgcolor="#999999">Modal Verb</th> <th bgcolor="#999999">Expressing</th> <th bgcolor="#999999">Example</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC" rowspan="2">must</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC">must not</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC" rowspan="3">can</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC" rowspan="3">could</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC" rowspan="2">may</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC" rowspan="2">might</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC">need not</th> <th bgcolor="#CCCCCC" rowspan="3">should/ought to</th>

Strong obligation	You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
logical conclusion / Certainty	He must be very tired. He's been working all day long.
prohibition	You must not smoke in the hospital.
ability	I can swim.
permission	Can I use your phone please?
possibility	Smoking can cause cancer.
ability in the past	When I was younger I could run fast.
polite permission	Excuse me, could I just say something?
possibility	It could rain tomorrow!
permission	May I use your phone please?
possibility, probability	It may rain tomorrow!
polite permission	Might I suggest an idea?
possibility, probability	I might go on holiday to Australia next year.
lack of necessity/absence of obligation	I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge.
50 % obligation	I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache.
advice	You should / ought to revise your lessons
logical conclusion	He should / ought to be very tired. He's been working all day long.