Modals in General

Modal auxiliary verbs

Will Shall May & Might Would Can & Could Must Should Ought to

What are "modal auxiliary verbs"?

They are verbs which 'help' other verbs to express a meaning: it is ******ant to realise that "modal verbs" have no meaning by themselves. A modal verb such as would has several varying functions; it can be used, for example, to help verbs express ideas about the past, the present and the future. It is therefore wrong to simply believe that "would is the past of will": it is many other things.

A few basic grammatical rules applying to modal verbs

Modal verbs are NEVER used with other auxiliary verbs such as do, does, did etc. The negative is formed simply by adding "not" after the verb; questions are formed by inversion of the verb and subject:

You should not do that.

Could you pick me up when I've finished?

Modal verbs NEVER change form: you can never add an "-s" or "-ed", for example.

Modal verbs are NEVER followed by to, with the exception of ought to.

What sort of meanings do modals give to other verbs?

The meaning are usually connected with ideas of DOUBT, CERTAINTY, POSSIBILITY and PROBABILITY, OBLIGATION and PERMISSION (or lack of these). You will see that they are not used to talk about things that definitely exist, or events that definitely happened. These meanings are sometimes divided into two groups:

DEGREES OF CERTAINTY: certainty; probability; possibility; impossibility

OBLIGATION/FREEDOM TO ACT: permission,lack of permission; ability; obligation.

Let's look at each modal verb separately, and the functions they help to express:



Will

Making personal predictions

I don't think the Queen will ever abdicate.

I doubt if I'll stay here much longer.

Talking about the present with certainty (making deductions)

I'm sure you will understand that there is nothing the Department can do

There's a letter for you. It'll be from the bank: they said they'd be writing.

Talking about the future with certainty

I won't be in the office until 11; I've got a meeting.

Don't bother ringing: they'll have left for their 10 o'clock lecture.

Talking about the past with certainty

I'm sure you will have noticed that attendance has fallen sharply.

Reassuring someone

Don't worry! You'll settle down quickly, I'm sure.

It'll be all right! You won't have to speak by yourself.

Making a decision

For the main course I'll have grilled tuna.

I'm very tired. I think I'll stay at home tonight.

Making a semi-formal request

Will you open the window, please? It's very hot in here.

Sign this, will you?

Offering to do something

You stay there! I'll fetch the drinks.

Insistence; habitual behaviour

I'm not surprised you don't know what to do! You will keep talking in class.

Damn! My car won't start. I'll have to call the garage.

Making a promise or a threat

You can count on me! I'll be there at 8 o'clock sharp.

If you don't finish your dinner off, you'll go straight to bed!



Shall

Shall is a form of will, used mostly in the first person. Its use, however, is decreasing, and in any case in spoken English it would be contracted to "-ll" and be indistinguishable from will.

The only time you do need to use it is in questions, when:

Making offers

Shall I fetch you another glass of wine?

Making suggestions

Shall we go to the cinema tonight?



May & Might

May & might sometimes have virtually the same meaning; they are used to talk about possibilities in the past, present or future. ("Could" is also sometimes used).

May is sometimes a little bit "more sure" (50% chance); whereas might expresses more doubt (maybe only a 30% chance).

May & might are used, then, for:

Talking about the present or future with uncertainty

She may be back in her office: the lecture finished ten minutes ago.

I may go shopping tonight, I haven't decided yet.

England might win the World Cup, you never know.

Talking about the past with uncertainty

I'm surprised he failed. I suppose he might have been ill on the day of the exam.

They can also sometimes be used for talking about permission, but usually only in formal situations. Instead of saying May I open a window? we would say Is it all right/OK if I open a window? or Can I open a window? for example. You might, however, see:

Students may not borrow equipment without written permission.

May

Talking about things that can happen in certain situations

If the monitors are used in poorly lit places, some users may experience headaches.

Each nurse may be responsible for up to twenty patients.

With a similar meaning to although

The experiment may have been a success, but there is still a lot of work to be done. (= Although it was a success, there is still ...)

Might

Saying that something was possible, but did not actually happen

You saw me standing at the bus stop! You might have stopped and given me a lift!



Would

As the past of will, for example in indirect speech

"The next meeting will be in a month's time" becomes

He said the next meeting would be in a month's time.

Polite requests and offers (a 'softer' form of will)

Would you like another cup of tea?

Would you give me a ring after lunch?

I'd like the roast duck, please.

In conditionals, to indicate 'distance from reality': imagined, unreal, impossible situations

If I ruled the world, every day would be the first day of Spring.

It would have been better if you'd word processed your assignment.

After 'wish', to show regret or irritation over someone (or something's) refusal or insistence on doing something (present or future)

I wish you wouldn't keep interrupting me.

I wish it would snow.

(This is a complicated area! Check in a good grammar book for **** details!)

Talking about past habits (similiar meaning to used to)

When I was small, we would always visit relatives on Christmas Day.

Future in the past

The assassination would become one of the key events of the century.



Can & Could

Talking about ability

Can you speak Mandarin? (present)
She could play the piano when she was five. (past)


Making requests

Can you give me a ring at about 10?
Could you speak up a bit please? (slightly more formal, polite or 'softer')

Asking permission

Can I ask you a question?
Could I ask you a personal question? (more formal, polite or indirect)

Reported speech
Could is used as the past of can.

He asked me if I could pick him up after work.

General possibility

You can drive when you're 17. (present)
Women couldn't vote until just after the First World War.

Choice and opportunities

If you want some help with your writing, you can come to classes, or you can get some 1:1 help.
We could go to Stratford tomorrow, but the forecast's not brilliant. (less definite)

Future probability
Could (NOT can) is sometimes used in the same way as might or may, often indicating something less definite.

When I leave university I might travel around a bit, I might do an MA or I suppose I could even get a job.

Present possibility

I think you could be right you know. (NOT can)
That can't be the right answer, it just doesn't make sense.

Past possibility

If I'd known the lecture had been cancelled, I could have stayed in bed longer.



Must
Examples here refer to British English; there is some variation in American English.

Necessity and obligation
Must is often used to indicate 'personal' obligation; what you think you yourself or other people/things must do. If the obligation comes from outside (eg a rule or law), then have to is often (but not always) preferred:

I really must get some exercise.
People must try to be more tolerant of each other.
You musn't look - promise?
If you own a car, you have to pay an annual road tax.

Strong advice and invitations

I think you really must make more of an effort.
You must go and see the film - it's brilliant.
You must come and see me next time you're in town.

Saying you think something is certain

This must be the place - there's a white car parked outside.
You must be mad.
What a suntan! You must have had great weather.

The negative is expresses by can't:

You're going to sell your guitar! You can't be serious!
She didn't wave - she can't have seen me.



Should

Giving advice

I think you should go for the Alfa rather than the Audi.
You shouldn't be drinking if you're on antibiotics.
You shouldn't have ordered that chocolate dessert - you're not going to finish it.

Obligation: weak form of must

The university should provide more sports facilities.
The equipment should be inspected regularly.

Deduction

The letter should get to you tomorrow - I posted it first class.

Things which didn't or may/may not have happened

I should have renewed my TV licence last month, but I forgot.
You shouldn't have spent so much time on that first question.

Ought to
Ought to usually has the same meaning as should, particularly in affirmative statements in the present:

You should/ought to get your hair cut.

Should is much more common (and easier to say!), so if you're not sure, use should.

Modal verbs


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Student: Can I go to the bathroom sir?

Teacher: I?m sure you can, but you may not.

This old joke plays on different interpretations of can. The student is asking for permission, whereas the teacher is talking about ability. Some people might say that the student?s use of can is incorrect (i.e. the student should say May I go to the bathroom?). This view, however, is based on a very narrow understanding of modality and modal verbs in English.

This month?s article is the first of two in which we take a closer look at modal verbs. We begin by looking at their function in English and exploring basic properties. We then go on to look in more detail at the most common uses of the ******ant modal verbs can, could, will and would. In our next article we?ll complete the story by covering may, might, must, should and ought to.


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1. Modal verbs in English

As well as making simple statements or asking questions, we may sometimes want to express our intentions and attitudes, talk about necessity and possibility, or make offers, requests, or suggestions. In English these uses of language are usually expressed by a set of verbs called modals. Modals always occur with other verbs, and can be thought of as a special kind of auxiliary verb, e.g.:

I must go to the post office.

Can I borrow your umbrella?

The most commonly used modals in English are:

can could will would may might must ought to should

Modals are mainly used when we want to indicate our attitude to what we are saying, or when we are considering how what we say will affect the person we are communicating with. Compare:

She?s the oldest. vs. She might be the oldest.

(Here the modal shows that the speaker is not absolutely sure that the statement is true.)

Close the door. vs. Could/would/will you close the door?

(Here the modals turn an instruction into a polite request.)
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1.1 Some basic characteristics of modals

a) Modals are always followed by the base form of the verb, e.g.:

I might play tennis tomorrow.

You ought to tell her.

Sometimes a modal is followed by the base form of auxiliaries have or be, followed by a participle, e.g.:

I might be playing tennis tomorrow.

You ought to have told her.

In passive structures, a modal is followed by be or have been and a past participle, e.g.:

She ought to be disqualified.

The door might have been locked.

b) Modals never inflect, i.e.: they have no ?ing or ?ed forms, and do not take ?s in the third person singular present.

Note: the modal form could is sometimes thought of as the past tense of can when it refers to the ability to do something, e.g.:

Louise can read. = Louise could read when she was three.

and also in reported speech, when the modal form would is also thought of as the past tense of will:

?Jackie can come.? = She said that Jackie could come.

?You will be late.?= I told her that she would be late.

c) Unlike other verbs, modals do not use do and did to form negatives. Negatives are formed by putting not immediately after the modal, except in the case of ought to, where the negative form is ought not to (which is sometimes abbreviated to oughtn?t to). The negative of can is written as one word cannot, more usually shortened to can?t. Shall not and will not are usually abbreviated to shan?t and won?t respectively. Could not and would not usually appear as couldn?t and wouldn?t, e.g.:

I might not play tennis tomorrow.

You ought not to tell her.

She can?t come.

We won?t be ready until five.

d) Modals do not use do and did to form questions. Questions are formed by placing the modal before the subject. In the case of ought to, ought is placed before the subject and to after it, e.g.:

Can she speak Spanish?

Ought you to tell her?

Wouldn?t he help you?

When will and would are used after a pronoun, they are often shortened to the contracted forms ?ll and ?d and joined to the pronoun, e.g.:

I?ll help, if you want.

I?m sure she?ll agree.

It?d be better if you told her yourself.

He said that he?d walk home.

2. Can and could

2.1 Ability

Modal verbs can and could are used to show that someone has the ability to do something. Can is used for the present, and could is used for the past, e.g.:

Tom can play chess.

I can?t pick the box up, it?s too heavy.

Louise could read when she was three.

I stood on a chair, but I still couldn?t see.


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2.2 Permission

Can and could are also used to express the idea of giving or asking for permission to do something, e.g.:

You can use my phone if you want.

I?m sorry but you can?t bring drinks in here.

Can I borrow your pen, please?

Could Tom sit next to you?

Sometimes can and could are used to talk generally about permission, rather than giving it or asking for it. In this sense, can is used for the present and could is used for the past, e.g.:

There?s a sign saying that you can?t park in front of the station.

I can stay up until nine. Mum said so.

We couldn?t keep pets when we lived in the flat.

There was a time when you could park your car anywhere.


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2.3 Possibility

a) Can and could are often used to suggest possible future actions.

You can/could go on the train, if you prefer.

Note: can expresses a more definite possibility than could, cf:

If you don?t like it, I can paint it a different colour.
vs
If you don?t like it, I could paint it a different colour.



b) Could is often used to say that something is or was possibly true, e.g.:

He could be working late tonight.

It could be difficult to get there in time.

She could have missed the last bus.

c) Can is sometimes used to say that something is generally possible:

Smoking can seriously damage your health.

Paris can be very hot in summer.

In this sense, can often has the meaning ?sometimes?, e.g.:

Owning a dog can be expensive. (= ?Owning a dog is sometimes expensive.?)

d) Can?t and couldn?t are sometimes used to show that something is or was impossible, e.g.:

This can?t be Sam?s coat, it?s far too big.

You couldn?t have seen Simon yesterday, he?s in America.

3. Will and Would

3.1 Requests

Will and would are often used when making requests, e.g.:

Will you give me a lift?

Would you pass me the salt?

Note that would is less direct and sounds more polite than will.


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3.2 Intentions

Will is often used to state an intention to do something, e.g.:

I?ll talk to you later.

We?ll call you when we?re ready.

I won?t ask for any money.

We won?t leave without you.

It can also be used to talk about someone?s willingness to do something, e.g.:

Ask Sarah if she?ll take them.

I?ve asked her, but she won?t come.

Wouldn?t can be used to show that someone was unwilling to do something in the past, e.g.:

I asked her, but she wouldn?t come.


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3.3 Habits

Will and would are sometimes used to describe habits or characteristic behaviour. Will is used for habits or behaviour in the present, and would is used for habits or behaviour in the past, e.g.:

Every day she?ll come home and immediately turn on the TV.

John is so kind. He?ll always give me a lift if I ask him.

He?d always turn and wave at the end of the street.

In those days people would grow all their own vegetables.

When speaking, will and would in this sense are often stressed in order to criticize someone?s usual behaviour, e.g.:

She will keep talking when I?m trying to concentrate.

He just wouldn?t tidy his room when I asked him.


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3.4 Certainty

Will can be used to say that something is certainly true, e.g.:

There?s someone coming to the door. ? Oh, that?ll be the window cleaner.

Louise will be at home by now.

Matthew won?t want to be disturbed if he?s working.

In this sense, will is often followed by be + -ing to talk about what is certainly happening, or have + past participle to talk about what has certainly happened, e.g.:

Louise will have arrived by now.

He won?t have tidied the house, he never does.

I expect Matthew will be working in the study.

Kelly won?t be helping, I?m sure of that.


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3.5 Unreal situations

Whereas will is often used to make predictions about a real event in the future, e.g.:

We?re going to have a few days holiday in Scotland. ? Oh, that?ll be nice.

would is often used to make a prediction about an unreal event, i.e. an event which may or may not happen, e.g.:

We?re thinking of having a few days holiday in Scotland. ? Oh, that would be nice.

In this sense, would often occurs in a sentence with if to talk about what might happen if something else happens, e.g.:

What would you do if you lost your job?

Would also often occurs with verbs such as like, love, etc , to talk about what someone wants to do, e.g.:

I would like to know more.

We?d love to have twins.

She?d prefer to go to Scotland.

Would have + past participle is used to talk about an unreal situation in the past, i.e.: a situation that might have happened, but didn?t, e.g.:

Pete would have helped, if he hadn?t been unwell.

What would you have done if you?d lost your job?

It similarly occurs with verbs such as like, love etc to show what someone wanted to do, but didn?t:

We went to Wales, but Jack would have preferred to go to Scotland.