MODALS
Modals or modal verbs: can, could, may,
might, will, would, shall, should, must and ought – are used before ordinary
verbs. They are used to convey capability, possibility, permission, necessity,
suggestion, invitation, etc. Need and dare can also e used as modals. The
modals take base form of the verb, they themselves remain unchanged.
Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different from
normal verbs like "work, play, visit..." They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows
it.
|
Modal |
Meaning |
Example |
|
can |
to express ability |
I can write a little French. |
|
can |
to request permission |
Can I open the door? |
|
may |
to express possibility |
I may be late to school. |
|
may |
to request permission |
May I get in, please? |
|
must |
to express obligation |
You must pay now. |
|
must |
to express strong belief |
He must be over 25 years old. |
|
should |
to give advice |
You should stop drinking. |
|
would |
to request or offer |
Would you like a cup of coffee? |
|
would |
in if-sentences |
If I were you, I would kick him. |
SHALL
(i) In assertive sentences, shall, in the
first person, gives information about the future action
I shall be much obliged to him.
We shall reach Mumbai today.
(ii) Shall, in the second and third persons,
is used to denote:
(a) A promise
He shall have the disc tomorrow.
They shall have a trip tomorrow.
(b) A command
We shall not decorate there.
You shall love your colleague as yourself.
(c) Determinations
We shall work hard.
You shall do what she has told you.
(d) A threat
She shall be punished if she does not obey them.
You shall pay for this negligence.
(iii) In interrogative sentence, shall used
in the first person, indicates simple futurity, wish or opinion of the person
spoken to
Shall we buy this umbrella for you?
Shall I visit the national park?
WILL
(i) In Assertive sentences, will, in the
second and the third persons, indicates pure future
He will go to Bangalore on Friday.
He is confident he will pass the examination.
(ii) In Assertive sentences, will indicates a
customary or characteristic action, when used in the second or the third person
He will sit there for two hours waiting for his wife to come.
Whenever she is in trouble, she will go to her brother.
(iii) Will, in the second and third persons,
expresses a belief or an assumption on the part of the speaker
He will know it.
Rakesh will be back now.
(iv) Will, in the first person, is used to
denote
(a) Promise
They will do better next time.
I will teach her singing.
(b) Threat
Boss will dismiss him.
She will expose her.
(c) Willingness
He will lend her some money.
I will drop you to college.
(d) Determination
He will succeed in the project.
They will not surrender.
(v) In Interrogative sentences, will, in the
second person, denotes willingness, intention or wish of the person spoken to
Will he have a cup of tea?
Will you stay in Goa on Sunday?
SHOULD
(i) To denote duty or obligation
Children should obey their parents.
He should control his temper.
Students should obey their teachers.
She should not neglect her studies.
(ii) To express supposition, possibility,
condition, etc.
Should she turn up now, she has nothing to give him.
If they should attack, we will defend our nation.
If it should rain, students shall have a holiday.
Should there be a danger, they shall be prepared to meet it.
(iii) To express purpose and result in the
clauses introduced by in order that and so that
He spoke softly so that none should hear him.
They bought plenty of food in order that all should be satisfied.
(iv) After lest to express a negative purpose
He worked hard lest he should fail.
(v) In dependent clauses after verbs and
phrases indicating determination or willingness, threats, orders or promises
He told his sister that she should have a car.
I have ordered that she should not sing today.
(vi) When giving and asking advice
Children should not play with fire.
He should be kind to his servants.
(vii) To disapprove something that was done
in the past
He should not have insulted her.
You should not have wasted your time.
(viii) To indicate a concession
He will not improve, though he should live for a hundred years.
She will not believe it though an angel should come from heaven and say
it.
(ix) In idiomatic expression
We should think so.
They should like to know what they have been doing there.
MAY
(i) To express permission
He may stay in my flat today.
May I go now, sir?
(ii) To express a purpose
He flatters so that she may fallow him.
We eat so that we may live.
(iii) To denote possibility
It may rain now.
He may be elected as Marshal.
(iv) To express a wish
May he have the best of luck!
May his soul rest in peace!
MIGHT
(i) Might is used to denote a possibility
that is more doubtful than ‘may’
He might pass in examination.
The corona patient might recover soon.
(ii) Might is also used to denote extreme
politeness during a discussion
Might you have a chance to speak?
If I might request him, couldn’t he teach us English?
CAN
(i) Can and could are used to express ability
or power
She can speak Japanese.
Can you see the tablet on the bench?
She could sing well at the age of five.
(ii) Can and could are used to express
permission
They can leave the class after half two hours.
Can you go to the museum now?
(iii) Can and could are used to express
possibility, that is, some action or event is possible
There can be huge audience at any time in the stadium.
They can make mistakes.
She said that the news could be true.
COULD
(iv) Could sometimes does indicate past time.
It is also used to express a polite request
Could I have your car?
Could you speak to the head master for a minute?
Could I have a cup of tea?
(v) Could is not itself the past form of can;
could have serves as its past form
You could have played much better in the match.
He could have told me about it.
MUST
(i) Necessity, compulsion or strong moral obligation
You must obey the government laws.
Students must answer three out of the six questions.
He must finish the work now.
Cars must not be parked in front of the school.
(ii) Fixed determination
You must have your way in that matter.
They must have their money back.
(iii) Duty
Children must be loyal to their parents.
A judge must be upright.
(iv) Inevitability
One day man must die.
(v) Certainty or strong likelihood
He must have reached Chennai by now.
They must be thirsty after their long walk.
(vi) A guess, or on inference from
circumstances
The Chairman must be in the college.
His dad must be at least fifty.
OUGHT
TO
(i) To give advice
He ought to stop smoking and drinking.
(ii) To denote duty
Children ought to love their parents.
They ought not to walk on the lawn.
(iii) Ought to have + V3 is used
to indicate a past obligation that was not fulfilled
She ought to have been more careful.
He ought to have obeyed her elders.
HAVE
TO
(i) To indicate obligation
She has to work hard for a living.
You have to attend the meeting today.
(ii) When the obligation or necessity is a
repeated occurrence
We have to work on holidays too.
They have to be at College by 9 am.
(iii) Had to is used for a necessity or
obligation in the past
She had to finish the work by 9pm.
They had to pay the fees by the 25th of month.
DARE
(i) To denote ‘challenge’ or ‘defiance’ in
affirmative sentences
How dare he behave in this way?
She dares to call him a thief.
(ii) To denote ‘venture’ and ‘courage’ in
negative sentences
You dare not ask him to catch her.
He dare not tell her lies.
(iii) To make interrogative sentences
Dare she say such a thing to her?
Does she dare to imply that she is dishonest?
NEED/
NEED NOT
(i) As a regular verb it means require or in
need of
She needs her help.
They do not need your advice.
(ii) As a modal it expresses necessity
We need not pay the fine.
He need not wait more.
(iii) Interrogative sentences;
Need you go to the court today?
Need we pay the fine?
(iv) The past form is ……. Need have
We needn’t have come so far.
Need they have taken all this trouble?
USED
TO
(i) It shows discontinued habit
There used to be a palace by the lake.
She used to live in town before her marriage.
(ii) To denote a repeated action
When she was young, she used to sing melodiously.
He used to sing before his marriage.
(iii) ‘Used to’ also means accustomed to
We are not used to hard, manual labor.
We are used to a hot climate.
