Modal verbs

Lengua 3 Grammar Component

Topic 1:
Modality in English

1. Modality

4. Clause combining 2

1.1 Defining Modality

• Three main types of modality:
Potential

Necessity

Likelihood

Possibility
(be possible)

Probability
(be probable)

Certainty
(be certain)

Requirement

Permission
(be allowed to)

Advisability
(be to your advantage to)

Obligation
(be obliged to)

Volition

Ability
(be able to)

Inclination
(be willing to)

Promise/Intention
(be going to)

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1. Modality
1.1 Modality: excercise

4. Clause combining 2

Practice
•

Say whether the modal verbs used in the following sentences express likelihood (possibility, probability, certainty), requirement (permission, advice, obligation) or volition (ability, inclination, promise, intention):
1. You will feel better after this medicine
2. Even expert drivers can make mistakes
3. Visitors may reclaim necessary travel expenses
4. Can you remember where they live?
5. I am afraid I must go now.
6. We may never succeed
7. The manager said he will phone me
8. You can borrow a book from my library.
9. There must be some mistake

1. Modality
1.2 Modality: Expression

4. Clause combining 2

• Grammatical means for expressing modality in English:
– Modal auxiliaries: “may”, “might”, “can”, “could”, “will”,
“would”, “shall”, “should” and “must”.
– Semi-Modal : “have (got) to”, “ought to”, “need”, and

“dare”.
– Lexical-Modal verbs: “be required to”, “be supposed to”, “be allowed to”, etc.
– Modal Adverbs: possibly, probably, obligatorily, perhaps, etc.
– Modal Adjectives: “It is possible that…”, “it is compulsory to…”

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1. Modality
1.3 Expressing Likelihood
• A speaker will use likelihood modality to express degrees of certainty of the event.
Possibility
Modal-aux

Probability

Certainty

might/may/could should -/will/must
He may be here already He should be here now.
He is here now.
He might come tomorrow He