ENGLISH GRAMMAR - MODALS

 

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 25^th 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.