English is one of the most widely spoken languages of our modern society. If our parents began to get to know him in high school, then most of us learned the language of the British Isles in kindergarten. Like any other language, English has its own grammatical, lexical, grammatical, syntactic and other difficulties.
One of the distinguishing features of the English language is the existence and use of modal verbs, which as a linguistic phenomenon are, in principle, absent in the Russian language, which is why they cause difficulty. Therefore, let's deal with them - what they are, how and why they are used, and whether it is possible to do without them.
Meaning of Modal Verbs in English
The modal verbs can (could), may (might), must, ought, need form a special group. They do not have independent use, but only together with the form of the subsequent infinitive. Opportunities, abilities, probabilities, the need to perform any action - all this is expressed by modality in combination with a verb within the meaning. Together they form a grammatical structure - a compound verb predicate, an example with the modal verb can:
"She can write a novel" - "She can write a novel."
An example of another modal verb:
"He may arrive tonight" - "He may be coming tonight."
The modal verbs can (could), may (might), must, ought, need do not indicate a specific process or action. They can only show the speaker’s attitude regarding a certain action, his assessment of this action. Modal verbs are not “full” verbs, since they do not have all forms, like other verbs. For example, the modal verbs can and may have the past tense in the form of could and might. In turn, must, ought, need only have a form in the present tense.
Distinctive features of Modal Verbs English
As a linguistic phenomenon, they have their own characteristics. On the Internet you can find a lot of examples of tables of English modal verbs, which describe their specific features in the most detail. Therefore, we will not dwell on this in detail, but let us talk about it briefly.
1) Modal Verbs lacks the ending -s of the 3rd person singular in the present tense ("She can swim", "He may come").
2) There are no non-personal forms - infinitive, gerund, communion.
3) Not used in the form of a simple verb predicate, but only in the form of a compound ("Kate need some fruits", "I must be there").
4) The formation of the interrogative and negative forms of the modal verb occurs without an auxiliary verb. Interrogative sentence - the modal verb goes before the subject, negative - after Modal Verb the negation not is put ("Can you send it?", "They need not go there").
5) In addition to the modal verb could and might, there is no past tense, as well as the future, perfection and passive voice.
Characteristic of the modal verb must
Modal Verb "must" has its own translation features and distinctive features and shades of meaning.
- Committing an action is inevitable for objectively determined reasons. Example: "She must listen to this". “She must listen to this.”
- The execution of an action is compelled for objectively determined reasons. Example: "They must not go there". - They should not go there.
- The action is necessary according to the subjective opinion of the speaker. Example: "I must leave as soon as I can." “I have to leave this place as soon as I can.”
Characteristic of the modal verb could / can
For this, Modal Verb also has its own special shades of value when consumed. Let's figure them out.
- An action can be committed due to the presence of conditions for its fulfillment in the present as well as in the future tense. Example: "She can be there." - She may be there.
- An action may be committed by permission or permission. Example: "Can I see the doctor?" “Can I see a doctor?”
- The modal verb could / can can help convey the meaning of the ability to perform an action. Example: "He can speak Spanish". - He can speak Spanish.
Expression of Assumption Using Modal Verbs
One of the most difficult things about using them is the expression of an assumption. Each modal verb has its own hue.
- Must. This Modal Verb is used in specifying assumptions, which are built on the basis of fact, knowledge, almost full confidence of truthfulness. Example: "John must ba at school". - John, probably at school.
- Should. In this case, the assumption is based on the fact. Example: "This balls should be of equal volume". - Probably, these balls are of the same volume.
- Ought. When using this modal verb, assumption is also based on fact. Example: "It ought to be easy to find this book". “This book will probably be easy to find.”
- Will / would. With the use of will and would come to the fore the subjective opinion of the speaker. Example: "You`ll have readof it?" - You probably read about it?
- Can / could. Modal verbs are usually used in negative sentences, which expresses the improbability of the action. This is a simple case. The modal verb could is one of the most used. Example: "You can`t really fly to Spain or you wouldn`t have hesitation." “You cannot really fly to Spain, or you have no doubt.”
- May There is no certainty that the action is bound to happen. As it can happen, it may not happen. Example: "He may have come there". - He could come there (but did not come).
- Might is used when the speaker is not sure of any fact. Example: "He might have been to Moscow". - He may have been in Moscow.
- Need. Use is characteristic of negative offers and optional actions. Example: "It need not take much time". “It won't take you long.”
It is worth taking a little time and understanding all the intricacies of using modal verbs, and for you the difficulty of the English language will become less!