What are modal verbs?

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs which behave
irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like "work, play, visit..." They give additional
information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative
functions.

Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:

 They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"...
 They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (e.i. the bare infinitive.)
 They are used to indicate modality allow speakers to express certainty, possibility, willingness,
obligation, necessity, ability

List of modal verbs

Here is a list of modal verbs:

can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must

The verbs or expressions dare, ought to, had better, and need not behave like modal auxiliaries to a large
extent and my be added to the above list

Use of modal verbs:

Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:

1. Permission
2. Ability
3. Obligation
4. Prohibition
5. Lack of necessity
6. Advice
7. possibility
8. probability

1. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge. You needn't buy any.
2. It's a hospital. You mustn't smoke.
3. He had been working for more than 11 hours. He must be tired after such haed work. He may
prefer to get some rest.
4. I could speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Morocco. But after we moved back to
Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost everything I knew as a child. Now,
I can just say a few things in the language.
5. The teacher said we can read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional. But we needn't read
it if we don't want to.
6. Can you stand on your head for more than a minute? No, I can't .
7. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you need to work hard. .
8. Take an umbrella. It might rain later.
9. You shouldn't leave small objects lying around . Such objects may be swallowed by children.
10. People mustn't walk on grass.
11. Drivers must stop when the traffic lights are red.
12. May I ask a question? Yes, of course.
13. You needn't take your umbrella. It is not raining.
14. Can you speak Italian? No, I can't .
What is your specialty in medicine? My specialty is anesthesia

What did you say please? Spell that again. I said T-R-A-C-H-E-O-S-T-O-M-Y

I could not figure what this surgery instrument is used for. We simply use it for intubation

When are you going to have your septoplasty? I will have it in a fortnight, I suppose

Where does it hurt? Right in the middle of my chest

Which scalpel should I use N17 or N18? Get alive! It is a narrow cut! you have to use N17!

Who told you that you may have a cardiotomy. A friend of mine told me so

Whom did you administer a sedative? I administered a sedative to Mrs. Laura

Whose medical record is this? It is Mr. Harley’s

Why is he shivering? I suppose it is because his injury caused him fever

Why don’t you lay on a semi-fowler position, I think you will be more relieved. Ok I suppose I will

How can we know if a subject is going to be awake when under anesthesia? That is assured through the BIS

How bad is your wound? It feels terrible! I have a sore thigh, it is killing me! And now, all my calf and shin are numbing

How intense is it? It hurts a lot!

How far is the hospital from here? Actually it is very close, next turn to the right

How long is the esophagus? Approximately 25 cm

How long have you been working here? I have been working here for about thirteen years

How many morphine shots did she have? two shots

How much blood did she lose? Too much, she has been bleeding for one hour or so!

How old is it? She is 6 months old, isn’t she cute?

How come you lost the patient checklist? The department head will make our day! I don’t know how, it just disappeared!