Modal Auxiliaries
1. Will:
i) To
express willingness, futurity
Ex:
Ravi will go to France.
He will pass the exam.
ii) It
is used to make requests
Ex:
Will you lend me your book?
Will you shut the door,
please?
iii) It
is used to ask for information
Ex:
Will the solar eclipse be
visible in Nasik?
iv) To
express promise
Ex:
I will surely accompany you.
2. Shall:
i) To
express future time
Ex:
I shall go to Jaipur next
week.
ii)To
express suggestion
Ex:
Ex:
Shall we go for a walk?
iii) To
express threat
Ex:
You shall be enquired.
Anyone who breaks the rules
shall be punished.
iv) To
express command
Ex:
You shall do it now.
3. Would:
i) To
express wish
Ex:
I would like to taste this
dish.
ii) To
express habitual action in the past
Ex:
Every summer he would go for
swimming.
iii) To
express polite request
Ex:
Would you lend me your bag?
4. Should:
i) To
express duty, moral obligation
Ex:
Eve-teasers should obey our
elders.
ii) To
express advice or suggestion
Ex:
You should work hard to get
good marks.
iii) To
express necessity
Ex:
You should not write on the
wall.
Note: Must is also used to express obligation though.
It is somewhat stronger than should |
5. Can:
i) It
is used to express ability or possibility
Ex:
Raja can cook well.
A holiday trip can be
expensive.
ii) To
give instructions or permissions or to ask for permission
Ex:
You may leave now. [More
polite]
You can begin the test in ten
minutes.
May/can Sara stay here
tonight?
iii) To
express request
Ex:
Can you lend me your
umbrella?
6. Could:
i) To
express ability in the past
Ex:
Reena could walk when she was
one year
ii) To
express polite request [formal]
Ex:
Could you please draw this
for me?
iii) To
express possibility
Ex:
The flying object
could not be a bird.
7. May:
i) To
express permission
Ex:
May I come in, sir? [More
formal]
ii) To
express probability
Ex:
It may rain today.
iii) To
express purpose
Ex:
We do yoga so that we may be
healthy.
iv) To
express wish or prayer
Ex:
May god bless you!
May you live long!
8. Might:
i) Past
of (may) express possibility
Ex:
Oshalini might go for an
interview today.
ii) To
express uncertainty
Ex:
It might rain today.
9. Must:
i) To
express obligation, compulsion
Ex:
Children must follow the
rules of the school.
ii) To
express duty or necessity
Ex:
You must pay your fees by
next week.
iii) To
express strong possibility
Ex:
The train must have left by
now.
Note: Must is also
used to express obligation, though it is stronger than should
|
Remember:
we use questions with the modals may, can, could, and might to make polite
offers or requests. These four are often interchangeable. Remember that may and
might are more formal than can and could, with can being the most informal of
all.
Ex:
Can I help you?
Could you help me rearrange
the furniture?
May I see your ticket,
please?
Can we have some tea, please?
Might I make a suggestion?
May I offer you a cup of tea?
Semi
/ Quasi Modal:
Ought to, need, used to, dare are
known as semi/quasi modals because they do not share the properties of the
other modal verbs.
Dare and need can be used both as main
verbs and auxiliary verbs.
10. Ought to:
i) To
express duty or moral obligation
Ex:
You ought to help the poor
and needy.
ii) To
express necessity
Ex:
I ought to buy some fruits.
iii) To
express advice
Ex:
You ought to participate in
group discussion to improve your communicative skill.
11. Used to:
i) To
express discontinued habit
Ex:
Ex:
Edison used to be a slow learner
when he was a child.
[Which
was in practice in the past but not at present]
When I was in Ooty, I used to
visit the rose garden every week.
12. Dare:
i) To
express defiance, challenge, boldness
Ex:
I dare not to near snakes.
ii) In
the negative statement
Ex:
I dare not disobey the rules
of the captain.
iii)In
the interrogative statement
Ex:
How dare you call my name?
Note:
When
_______ is followed by “not” the answer will be dare/ need
Ex:
You need not attend the
class.
When
the sentence begins with “How” and ends with the question mark?
Ex:
How dare you ask me such a
question?
13.
Need:
[To denote necessity]
i) To
express obligation
Ex:
He need a help from you.
ii) Used
in negative statement
Ex:
You need not talk loudly, I
cannot concentrate.
iii) In
the interrogative statement
Ex:
Need she buy this book?
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