Ingls IV (B-2008) Prof. Argenis A.

Zapata Universidad de Los Andes Facultad de Humanidades y Educacin Escuela de Idiomas Modernos

English Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Ability/Possibility: Present Ability: Past and Future CAN (more common) COULD BE ABLE TO (formal) I could run fast when I was a I can run fast. child, but now I cant. Can you swim? You could run faster if you I can speak Spanish. stopped smoking. John can lift that chair. I could read when I was four. Im able to help you now. Last night, I couldnt sleep at all. I had a terrible cold. Permission MAY (formal) CAN (informal) May I come in? You may leave the room now. Can I hold the baby? Can I go with you? Polite Requests MAY (formal, with I and We) WILL (informal) CAN (informal) WOULD (please) (formal) WOULD (mind) (formal) COULD (formal and informal) May I borrow your pen? Will you please pass the salt? Can I borrow your rubber? Would you please pass the pepper? Would you mind opening the door? Could you give me a ride to the airport?

WILL BE ABLE TO

WAS/WERE ABLE TO (ability and successful Ill be able to see you at noon. performance) I wont be able to come MANAGED TO (ability and tomorrow. successful performance) After many attempts, I was able to repair the car. Last night, we were locked out, but we managed to get into the house through the window.

BE ALLOWED BE PERMITTED HAVE PERMISSION TO No one is allowed to use dictionaries during the tests. Were you permitted to use the language lab? You dont have permission to get into that room.

Ingls IV (B-2008) Prof. Argenis A. Zapata Possibility/Probability; Possibility/Probability; Deduction, Guess or Deduction, Guess or Inference: Present and Inference: Past Future MAY (more than 50% MAY HAVE (more than 50% possibility) possibility) MIGHT (less than 50% MIGHT HAVE possibility) MUST HAVE COULD 1 (less than 50% COULD HAVE possibility) MUST (95% possibility) A: Where was John? B: He may have been at the A: Wheres John? library. B: He may be at the library. A: Where was John? According to the weather B: He might have been at the forecast, it may rain tonight. library. A: Wheres John? B: He might be at the library. According forecast, tonight. to it A: Where was John? B: He could have been at the library. Strong Wish Impossibility:

CANT COULDNT (less likely than CANT) CANT HAVE May God bless you! COULDNT HAVE Will to God that you dreams WONT HAVE (almost 100% come true! certainty) Would to God that you have A: John is working as an English success in life! teacher. B: That cant be true! He has never studied English. Mary couldnt have a ten-year-old daughter! Shes only 25 herself.! A: The children are already sleeping. B: Oh, no! They cant have gone to bed yet; their bedroom light is still on. A: I saw John at a disco last night. B: That couldnt have my John! He was with me at the hospital last night. It wont have been Peter you met at the party last night. He was ill in bed.

MAY WILL (to GOD) WOULD (to GOD)

the weather might rain John didnt come to class yesterday. He must have been sick. Thats the only A: Wheres John? reason for him to miss B: He could be at the library. class. It wont have been Peter you John hasnt come today. He met at the party last night. must be sick today because He was ill in bed. It must he wasnt feeling well have been Simon. He looks yesterday. very much like Peter.
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When COULD expresses possibility, its negative form is not COULDNT but MIGHT NOT.

Ingls IV (B-2008) Prof. Argenis A. Zapata Future: Offer, Promise Willingness (spontaneous intention; made at the moment of speaking) WILL SHALL (with I and We) I will help you clean the house this afternoon. I shall help you clean the house this afternoon. (Mainly BrE) We shall be glad to help you solve the problem. Well call you tonight. The phone is ringing; Ill get it. Shall I get you something to drink? Future: Threat Future: Imposition (Mandate) WILL SHALL The Bible says, You shall If you dont do your not commit adultery. homework, Ill punish you. Everybody shall stay indoors If you dont do your during the curfew hours. homework, you wont watch TV tonight. Future: Planned Decision or Intention (thought about before the moment of speaking) BE GOING TO Present Continuous Were going to buy a house in Miami. Weve already contacted a real estate dealer over there. Paul and Mary are going to get married in June. John is visiting his parents next week. Future: Inevitability Future: Prediction Evidence Based on

WILL (100% certainty) SHALL (with I and We) BE BOUND TO This government has made many mistakes; it will surely fall soon. I shall pass this exam with a good grade; Ive studied a lot for it. This government is bound to fall; it has made too many mistakes.

Future: Determination

WILL (100% certainty) BE GOING TO (100% certainty) I think it will rain tonight; the sky is overcast. Youll feel better after youve taken this medicine. Youll fall off if youre not careful. I think it is going to rain tonight. Look at those clouds. John will be here at 6:00 p.m.; hes just confirmed his arrival time. John is going to be here at 6:00 p.m.; hes just confirmed his arrival time. Future: Immediate

WONT BE ABOUT TO SHALL NEVER I wont continue working here; Its already 7:29 p.m. The movie is Im tired of your insults. about to start. We shall never visit you The plane is about to leave. again; youve been too rude Passengers are being asked to to us. board it.

Ingls IV (B-2008) Prof. Argenis A. Zapata Future: Refusal Habitual Action Insistence: Future WILL (always) or Asking for Opinion Consent; Making Invitation: SHALL (I/we?) or Necessity or Strong Obligation: an Present and Future

WONT

Alice wont do the job unless No matter how many times we pay her. you ask John to participate I wont help you do your in your project, he will homework. Thats your always say that hes too responsibility. busy. When Mary is nervous, she will bite her nails.

Necessity or Obligation: Past

Lack of Necessity or Obligation: Present or Future HAD TO DONT HAVE TO DOESNT HAVE TO I had to go to class yesterday; NEEDNT3 I had a test. We had to sell our car in order Tomorrow is a national to cover my mothers hospital holiday. We dont have to expenses. come to class. Mary doesnt have to work for a living; shes already a millionaire. You neednt buy any milk. Weve still got some left in the fridge.

MUST HAVE TO2 You left the door open. Shall I HAVE GOT TO NEED close it for you? Im hungry. Shall we have We must go to class every day. something to eat? You have to eat vegetables every What shall we do tonight? day. Shall we go out or stay at You have got to make a decision home? urgently. I need to exercise every day. Lack of Necessity or Prohibition Obligation: Past MUSTNT CANT

DIDNT HAVE TO NEEDNT HAVE

When I woke up, my brother You cant use cell phones during had already done the flights. shopping. So I didnt have By law, you mustnt smoke in to go out this morning. public building. I mowed the lawn two days You mustnt steal peoples ago, so you neednt have property. mowed it again.

The difference between MUST and HAVE TO lies in the fact that MUST expresses the decision or authority of the speaker, while HAVE TO expresses the decision or authority of another person, or refers to obligation in general.

Ingls IV (B-2008) Prof. Argenis A. Zapata Duty, Responsibility or Mild Advice or Suggestion: Obligation: Present and Present and Future Future SHOULD SHOULD OUGHT TO OUGHT TO WOULDNT Your mother lives by herself. COULD (Affirmative only) You should call her more often. Youre always uptight. You Paul should turn in his should learn to relax. assignment on time. You ought to go to bed earlier; you look tired. Guests should not leave valuables in their bedrooms. If I were you, I wouldnt yield to their demands. In order to solve the problem, you could offer to pay your debt in three months. HAD BETTER (with threat of bad results) Advice or Suggestion: Past SHOULD HAVE OUGHT TO HAVE COULD HAVE John had a terrible cold yesterday. He should have gone to the doctor before traveling. I dont have any money today. I ought to have gone to the bank yesterday. You could have called the office before going there, so you hadnt wasted your time waiting. WOULD RATHER (not very common) Expected Behavior or Action: Present and Future SHOULD (90% certain) OUGHT TO (90% certain) BE SUPPOSED TO If everything went well on the road, John should be here by 6 p.m. We ought to be moving into our new house soon (as long as the arrangements go smoothly). Mary is supposed to be here now, but she hasnt arrived yet. Youre supposed to be in class before 10.

HAVE BE TO (formal) Everyone is to be here at 10 a.m.

I had better leave now Instead of staying in bed, you before the last bus passes would rather have gone to by. class so you wouldnt have You had better be on time, missed the test. or we will leave without you.

NEEDNT is the negative form of MUST when this verb expresses necessity. DONT/DOESNT HAVE TO (= no obligation; you neednt do something, but you can do it if you want) is the negative form of MUST when this verb expresses strong obligation. MUSTNT means negative obligation (= it is important that you NOT do something).

Ingls IV (B-2008) Prof. Argenis A. Zapata Expected Behavior or Action: Unfulfilled Expectation: Past Past SHOULD HAVE (90% WAS SUPPOSED TO certain) WAS/WERE GOING TO OUGHT TO HAVE The class was supposed to Mary studied all day begin at 10:00, but it didnt yesterday. She should have begin until 10:15. done well on the test. The students were supposed Mary studied all day to turn in their papers yesterday. She ought to yesterday but they didnt. have done well on the test. Preference: Present and Past Habits or Repeated future Actions in the Past: WOULD RATHER USED TO WOULD SOONER WOULD LIKE I used to smoke when I was younger. Now I dont. Id rather be a hammer than a When I was a child, I used to nail. visit my grandparents every I would like to have ham Sunday. sandwich, please. Unfulfilled Wish WOULD HAVE LIKED Unfulfilled Intention WAS GOING TO

I would have liked a cookie, I was going to paint my house but there were none in the yesterday, but I didnt have time. house.

Repeated Actions in the Past: WOULD

Repeated (and Annoying) Past Actions: WOULD (always)

When I was a child, I would My parents would always buy me visit my grandparents every the same model of shoes every Sunday. year.

References:
Azar, B. S. (2000). Understanding and using English grammar Chartbook. A reference grammar (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman. Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Longman. Soars, J., & Soars L. (1989). Headway (Intermediate and Advanced). Oxford: Oxford University Press.