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English Modal Verbs
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What Are Modal Verbs? (with Examples)
The main modal verbs are "can," "could," "may," "might," "shall," "should," "will," "would," and "must." Modal verbs (or modal auxiliary verbs) express modality. Modality refers to properties such as possibility, ability, permission, obligation, and condition. For example:
possibility | ability | permission | obligation | condition | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
can | I can attend the meeting. It is possible. | I can attend the meeting. John will take me. | I can attend the meeting. I have permission. | ||
could | I could attend the meeting. It was possible. | I could attend the meeting. My schedule was free. | |||
may | I may attend the meeting. There is a 50% chance. | I may attend the meeting. I have permission. | |||
might | I might attend the meeting. There is a 50% chance. | ||||
shall | I shall attend the meeting. I promise. | ||||
should | I should attend the meeting. It is the right thing to do. | ||||
will | I will attend the meeting. I promise. | ||||
would | I would attend the meeting. However, I have another meeting. | ||||
must | I must attend the meeting. It is important. |
[modal verb]
+ [base form]
Using Modal Verbs
Unlike a normal verb, a modal verb does not change. In other words, a modal verb does not conjugate, have participle forms, or have an infinitive form. For example:Conjugation Example | Participle Forms | Infinitive Form | |
---|---|---|---|
play (normal verb) |
|
|
|
could (modal verb) |
| There are no participle forms. | There is no infinitive form. |
More Examples of Modal Verbs
Here are some more examples showing the main uses of the most common modal verbs.Modal verbs showing possibility:
"can," "could," "may," or "might"
+ [base form]
- Alan can play football against St. Joseph's. He has cancelled his holiday.
- Alan could play against St. Joseph's because he cancelled his holiday. However, he is now injured.
- People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.
(Author John C. Maxwell)
(This means "people will likely hear you words.")
- Don't die for your beliefs. You might be wrong.
(Philosopher Bertrand Russell)
(This means "maybe you are wrong.")
Modal verbs showing ability:
"can" or "could"
+ [base form]
- John can speak German.
- John could speak French when he was a boy.
Modal verbs showing permission:
"can" or "may"
+ [base form]
- You can swim in the lake.
- You may swim in the lake.
Modal verbs showing obligation:
"shall," "should," or "must"
+ [base form]
- We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.
(British Prime Minister Wiston Churchill)
(This means "We have no option but to defend our island.")
- The aim of argument should be progress not victory.
(French moralist Joseph Joubert)
(This means "It is right if the aim of argument is progress.")
- You must do the things you think you cannot do.
(US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt)
(This means "It is right to do the things you think you cannot do.")
Modal verbs showing condition:
"would"
+ [base form]
- The word "happy" would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.
(Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung)
(Sadness is needed for "happy" to exist. It is a condition.)
More about Modal Verbs
The format below is another common way of using modal verbs:[modal verb]
+ "have"
+ [past participle]
possibility | ability | permission | obligation | condition | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
can | |||||
could | I could have attended the meeting. It was possible. | I could have attended the meeting. My schedule was free. | |||
may | I may have attended the meeting. There was a 50% chance. | I may have attended the meeting. I had permission. | |||
might | I might have attended the meeting. There was a 50% chance. | ||||
shall | |||||
should | I should have attended the meeting. It was the right thing to do. | ||||
will | |||||
would | I would have attended the meeting. However, I had another meeting. | ||||
must |
Why Modal Verbs Are Important
The term "modal verb" comes from "modality." Remember that modality includes some important properties such as possibility, ability, and obligation. If you're teaching or learning English, then rest assured that covering modal verbs will be well worth it. The modal verbs are essential for communicating.Also, you might be surprised how common modal verbs are. If you're unconvinced, spend some time playing with Google's Ngram viewer, which scans millions of publications. You will soon notice that our language is rammed full of modal verbs. (Click here for an example showing that "would" and "could" are far more common than "see" and "work," which are themselves extremely common words.)
So, modal verbs are important! Some language instructors believe that learning the modal verbs should be one of the very first activities for learners.
Key Point
- Don't write could of, should of, or would of. Just don't.
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