MODAL VERBS AND MODALITY

▪ characteristics: - followed by short infinitive

- no auxiliary is needed for the interrogative and negative forms
- no –s form in the 3rd person sg., and no –ing or –ed forms either

 12 twelve modal auxiliary verbs (recommendation, obligation, necessity, prohibition,

permission, refusal, possibility, expectation, probability, certainty, promise, intention,
ability, willingness). There are four paired forms: can-could, may-might; shall-should,
will-would; and four single forms: must, ought to, need, dare. (Graver, 1995: 17)

▪ ability:
can; (be able to)
▪ permission:
may; (be allowed/permitted to)
can & could (colloquial style)
▪ prohibition:
must not
am/is/are not to
shall not (2nd and 3rd person) e.g. You shall not steal.
may not → usually in official notices e.g. People may not pick flowers in
this park.
cannot/can’t
▪ obligation, necessity:
must (compulsion comes from the speaker)
have to (compulsion from external circumstances)
need to
▪ supposition on the part of the speaker:
will + perfect infinitive e.g. You will have heard the news.(‘presupun ca…’)
▪ willingness, determination:
will/would e.g. I will never speak to him again.
shall/shall not (2nd & 3rd person) → indicates the speaker’s determination
concerning the person spoken about. e.g. You shall marry him.
▪ refusal:
will not/won’t; would not/wouldn’t
e.g. The engine wouldn’t start.
The orange wouldn’t peel.
She won’t listen to my reasons.
▪ reproach:
might e.g. You might be a little more attentive. (‘ai putea fi…’)
You might have been a little more attentive. (‘ai fi putut fi…’)
▪ indifference:
may/might as well e.g. I don’t particularly want to do anything. We might as
well go home.
▪ possibility:
may
might (greater uncertainty) e.g. They might come by the night train.
Can/could
Present = modal verb + short infinitive/progressive inf.
Past = modal verb + perfect infinitive
e.g. He may be at home now.
He may be sleeping now.
He may have left by now.
▪ impossibility:
can’t/couldn’t
Present = modal verb + short infinitive/progressive inf.
Past = modal verb + perfect infinitive
e.g. He can’t be at the office now. It’s far too late.
She can’t be cooking now. She has already finished that.
They can’t have left without letting me know.
▪ certainty:
must
Present = modal verb + short infinitive/progressive inf.
Past = modal verb + perfect infinitive
e.g. Jane must feel terrible after that incident.
She must be working now.
You must have had some doubts about her statement.
▪ advice:
should
Present = modal verb + short infinitive/progressive inf.
Past = modal verb + perfect infinitive
e.g. You should listen to her advice.
You should have called before going there.
▪ lack of necessity (past):
needn’t + perfect infinitive → unnecessary action which was performed
didn’t need to → unnecessary action which was not performed
e.g. You needn’t have bought so much food. We have plenty of food in the
fridge.
I didn’t need to go there in person, so I sent my brother.