UNIT 9

MODALS

A. URAIAN MATERI

Pengertian Modals
Modals
Modal Auxiliary verb adalah kata yang ditempatkan sebelum main verb (kata
kerja utama) untuk memodifikasi makna dari kata kerja utama tersebut.
Fungsinya untuk mengekspresikan willingness (kemauan) atau ability
(kemampuan), necessity (kebutuhan), dan possibility (kemungkinan). Kata kerja
bantu ini antara lain: can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must,
dan ought to.

Modal Verb Expressing Example

must Strong obligation You must stop when the traffic lights turn
red.
logical conclusion / He must be very tired. He's been working
Certainty all day long.
must not prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital.
can ability I can swim.
permission Can I use your phone please?
possibility Smoking can cause cancer.
could ability in the past When I was younger I could run fast.
polite permission Excuse me, could I just say something?
possibility It could rain tomorrow!
may permission May I use your phone please?
possibility, probability It may rain tomorrow!
might polite permission Might I suggest an idea?
possibility, probability I might go on holiday to Australia next
year.
need not lack of necessity/absence of I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty
obligation of tomatoes in the fridge.
 should/ought 50 % obligation I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a
to terrible headache.
advice You should / ought to revise your lessons
logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired. He's
been working all day long.
had better advice You 'd better revise your lessons

B. Beberapa Fungsi dan Contoh Kalimat Modal Auxiliary Verb

1. Can dan Could

Can dan could dapat digunakan untuk menyatakan ability (kemampuan). Bedanya,
could untuk menyatakan ability (kemampuan) di masa lalu (past). Keduanya dapat
berfungsi untuk Modal verb ini juga dapat pula digunakan untuk meminta izin
(permission) untuk melakukan sesuatu.
1 You can buy anything with your money but you can‘t buy love.
(Kamu dapat membeli apapun dengan uangmu tapi kamu tidak dapat
membeli cinta)
2 Can I borrow your car for one night?
(Bisakah saya meminjam mobilmu selama satu malam?)
3 You could run faster than me two years ago.
(Kamu dapat berlari lebih cepat dari saya dua tahun lalu.)
4 Could I use your computer to print and scan?
(Bolehkah saya memakai komputermu untuk print dan scan?)

2. May dan Might

May dan might dapat digunakan untuk menyatakan possibility (kemungkinan) di

masa sekarang (present) dan masa depan (future). May dan Might dapat
ditambahkan primary auxiliary verb have untuk menyatakan kemungkinan di masa
lalu (past). Bedanya, may untuk menyatakan hypothetical situation yang belum
terbukti, sementara might yang telah terbukti.

May dapat digunakan untuk meminta izin (permission) dimana modal verb ini
lebih formal dari can. Adapun might ketika digunakan untuk meminta izin
 (permission) yang bersifat lebih formal daripada modal verb could. Dibanding may,
might lebih tentatif (tidak pasti) kejadiannya.
1 He may work out and eat healthy food every day.
(Dia mungkin berlatih dan memakan makanan sehat setiap hari.)
2 You may/might forget the embarassing incident tomorrow.
(Kamu mungkin melupakan insiden memalukan itu besok.)
3 • The doctor may have warned you not to eat red meat.
(Dokter mungkin telah melarangmu untuk memakan daging
merah) faktanya belum diketahui
• The doctor might have warned you not to eat red meat.
dikatakan setelah diketahui fakta: The doctor has not warned —
Dokter belum melarang.

4 May I go home now?

(Bolehkah saya pulang sekarang?) permission
5 If I have cleaned the room, might I play with my friend?
(Jika saya sudah membersihkan ruangan, bolehkah saya main dengan
teman?) permission

3. Will dan Would

Will untuk menyatakan willingness (kemauan). Willingness dapat diungkapkan dalam
conditional sentence type 1 maupun invitation (undangan/ajakan). Would juga dapat
digunakan untuk menyatakan willingness (kemauan), namun lebih polite (sopan). Selain
untuk mengungkapkan willingness, will dan would dapat pula digunakan untuk
membicarakan kemungkinan atau membuat prediksi.

Would saja dapat dipadukan dengan auxiliary have dan past participle (verb-3)
untuk membentuk conditional sentence type 3. Disini would untuk menyatakan
tindakan yang ingin dilakukan di masa lalu
1 I will help you if you help yourself first.
(Saya akan membantumu jika kamu membantu dirimu sendiri dulu.)
conditional sentence type 1
 2 Will you marry me?
(Maukah kamu menikah dengan saya?)
3 I’ll give you a glass of water.
(Saya akan memberimu segelas air.)
4 Would you like to see my craft?
(Maukah kamu melihat kerajinan tanganku?)
5 The sandstorm will come tonight.
(Badai pasir akan datang nanti malam.) prediksi

4. Shall

Shall [British English] digunakan untuk menyatakan simple future seperti halnya
will namun hanya digunakan pada first person (orang pertama) I dan we. Shall [US
English] jarang digunakan selain untuk polite question untuk first person. Modal
verb ini juga dapat digunakan untuk menyatakan obligation (kewajiban) pada
formal situation (yang dapat berupa legal document maupun pada saat meeting.
Pada situasi ini, baik second maupun third person dapat digunakan dengan modal
verb ini.
1 We shall overcome it someday.
(Kita akan mengatasinya suatu hari nanti.)
2 Shall we pay a call him?
(Haruskah kita menjenguknya?) polite question
3 Shall I give you some advice?
(Haruskah saya memberimu nasehat?) polite question
4 The Human Resource manager shall report the employee
performance.
(HR manager harus melaporkan performansi karyawan.)

5. Should

Should untuk memberi suggestion (saran) atau advice (nasehat)

1 You should see the doctor.
(Kamu harus ke dokter.)
 2 We should meet more often.
(Kita harus bertemu lebih sering.)

6. Must

Must dipadukan dengan not untuk menyatakan prohibition (larangan). Selain itu,
modal verb ini juga dapat untuk mengekspresikan obligation (kewajiban) atau
necessity (kebutuhan).
1 You mustn’t give up.
(Kamu tidak boleh menyerah.)
2 We must go to bed now.
(Kita harus tidur sekarang.)

LATIHAN
A. Fill in the blanks with CAN or CAN’T
1. She is a small baby. She ……………….. eat meat, but she................drink milk.
2. That dress is not expensive. I ................................. buy it.
3. A cat ………………. climb up a tree, but a dog ………………….. .
4. I’m very tired today. I ......................................clean my room.
5. John is very short. He .................................... play basketball very well.
6. We are very hungry, so we ................................. eat a lot of sandwiches.
7. He is very fat. He..................................... run very fast.
8. We ……………sleep in the bedroom but wesleep in the.........................bathroom.

B. Use a suitable present or past MODAL AUXILIARY

1. He........................................ play chess when he was young.
2. You .................................... drive a car when you are 18.
3. I ask you a question? She . be 25. She looks older than that.
4. His telephone doesn’t answer. He………………………….(go) to the club.
5. She entered the room carrying a wet umbrella. She………….(walk) in the rain.
6. My car didn’t work this morning. So I ............................................... walk to the
office.
7. He.................................................................. (be) home, but we didn’t telephone
him.
8. She………..(help) me a lot by giving me a little of his time, but she preferred to go
out.
9. He doesn’t know the answer. He
(study).
10. I can’t find the house. I…………………(write) down the address.
11. He read the message but he…………………..(not) understand.
12. I……………………(lend) you the money. Why didn’t you ask me?
13. A: Can I have some sweets? I am hungry.
B: You…………………..hungry. You have just had dinner.
14. Tom………………………(write) this, because it is in French and he doesn’t know
French.
15. He looked so tired. He…………………………..(work) very hard.