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What does the word 'can' indicate when used as an auxiliary modal?
What does the word 'can' indicate when used as an auxiliary modal?
The word 'can' indicates ability, capacity, or permission.
Match the following modal auxiliaries with their primary meanings:
Match the following modal auxiliaries with their primary meanings:
Can = Ability, capacity, or permission Could = Past ability or possibility Must = Obligation or strong deduction Shall = Command, prophecy, or formal request Should = Advice or supposition May = Permission or probability Might = Past permission or supposition Will = Will, willingness, or prediction Would = Past willingness, intention or hypothetical situation Ought to = Expectation or what is generally considered right Need not = Lack of necessity Dare = To be bold enough to do something, to dare to do something Be = Old subjunctive form used for hypotheticals, often implies impossibility or invisibility Have to = Almost identical in meaning to 'must' but often implies the speaker has no involvement in the obligation Have = Indicate that an action/event has already taken place or is taking place (past perfect/present perfect), used in the context of past modals or perfect modals
The auxiliary modal 'must' is used exclusively in the present tense.
The auxiliary modal 'must' is used exclusively in the present tense.
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What is the meaning of the auxiliary modal 'shall' in modern English?
What is the meaning of the auxiliary modal 'shall' in modern English?
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What type of auxilary modal form is 'would'?
What type of auxilary modal form is 'would'?
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The forms 'should' and 'ought to' have a very similar meaning.
The forms 'should' and 'ought to' have a very similar meaning.
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'Must' is a modal auxiliary verb that is similar in meaning to "have to".
'Must' is a modal auxiliary verb that is similar in meaning to "have to".
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The modal auxiliary verbs 'may' and 'might' are similar in meaning, and can be used interchangeably.
The modal auxiliary verbs 'may' and 'might' are similar in meaning, and can be used interchangeably.
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What does the phrase "It would be fun if..." signify?
What does the phrase "It would be fun if..." signify?
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Study Notes
Modal Verbs
-
Aux Modaux:
- Orange = primary/radical meaning
- Blue = perception of reality, epistemic sense (knowledge). Epistemic meaning is derived from knowledge in Greek.
- Aux. Modal + B.V = auxiliary modal verb + base form of verb
-
Can:
- "I can swim now!" = ability
- (will can) = "Don't worry, tomorrow I will be able to call you!" = future capability
-
Could:
- "I could swim fast when I was young" = ability in the past (general ability)
- "I was able to/ managed to call last night" = specific past action
- "It could happen sometimes" = possibility in the past
- "Sometimes, during winter he could be late/ absent..." = possibility in past, less frequent
-
Must:
- "You must obey me!" = strong obligation
- (speaker strongly pressures listener) = no possibility of resisting
- (must + not = prohibition)
- (Exceptions: had to in the past, future)
- "Tomorrow, you will have to call me!" = future obligation
- "He must be behind the door!" = quasi-certainty/likelihood
-
Shall:
- "Thou shalt not kill" = command with clear authority (strong implication of hierarchy)
- "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife" = strong command
- "You shall finish your homework!" = duty/requirement
- "I shall be absent tomorrow!" = prophecy, prediction, inevitability
-
Should:
- "You should come to the party!" = advice/recommendation
- "She should be here tomorrow!" = expectation/opinion
- "The bomb should explode in any minute" = probability
-
May:
- "You may smoke now if you wish!" = permission/authorization
- "May I?" = polite request/permission
- "It may rain today!" = possibility
- "It may happen sometimes!" = possibility
- "I may come tonight!" = possibility
-
Might:
- "Might I call you by your first name?" = polite permission request
- "It might rain today!" = less likely possibility
- "I might come today!" = possibility of action, but less than "could"
-
Will:
- "Where there's a will, there's a way!" = desire, motivation
- "If you will..." = honorific politeness
- "The door won't open!" = inability/refusal
- "My car won't start!" = refusal/inability
- Characteristic related to subjects
- Boys will be boys, He will always forget his keys, She will always be late.
- "I will be here tomorrow" = prediction, promise
-
Would:
- "Would you come with me, please?" = polite request
- "Would you care to follow me?" = polite request
- "When I was a kid, I would go fishing..." = past habit
- "She would always be late" = past habit
-
Past Modals:
- Perfect (bilan + aspect)
- "You could have told me yesterday!" = reproach/criticism
- have + past participle:
- "By the time/When I come home, she will have prepared dinner!" = future in the past
-
Conditional II
- "If I had had enough money, I would have bought a new Cadillac!" = unreal conditional in the past
- "If I had had time, I would have called" = Past perfect conditional regret
-
Dare:
- "How dare you!" = shows strong disapproval / outrage
-
Ought to:
- similar to "should" but slightly more formal / polite
- You ought to come tonight
- He ought to be here
-
Need:
- "You need not call" = absence of need
- "You needn't talk" = slight reproach softened
- use this word carefully
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Description
This quiz covers the essential modal verbs in English, focusing on their meanings and uses. Explore how 'can', 'could', and 'must' express ability, possibility, and obligation. Test your understanding of their various contexts and applications.
