Definition
·
A verb characteristically used with other verbs
to express mood or tense. In English, the modal auxiliaries are can, may, must,
ought, shall, should, will, and would. Also called modal.
·
A verb that combines with another verb to
indicate mood or tense. Also known as a modal auxiliary.
The modals in English are can, could, may, might, must,
ought, shall, should, will, and would. Also, in some dialects of
African-American English, invariant be is used to indicate future time.
Other helping verbs, called modal auxiliaries or modals,
such as can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, and would,
do not change form for different subjects.
There is also a separate section on the Modal Auxiliaries,
which divides these verbs into their various meanings of necessity, advice,
ability, expectation, permission, possibility, etc., and provides sample
sentences in various tenses.
Uses of Can and Could
The modal auxiliary
can is used
to express ability
(in the sense of being able to do something or knowing how to do something):
He can speak Spanish but he can't write it very well.
to expression
permission (in the sense of being allowed or permitted to do something):
Can I talk to my friends in the library waiting room?
(Note that can is less formal than may. Also, some writers
will object to the use of can in this context.)
to express
theoretical possibility:
American automobile makers can make better cars if they
think there's a profit in it.
The modal auxiliary
could is used
to express an ability
in the past:
I could always beat you at tennis when we were kids.
to express past or
future permission:
Could I bury my cat in your back yard?
to express present
possibility:
We could always spend the afternoon just sitting around
talking.
to express
possibility or ability in contingent circumstances:
If he studied harder, he could pass this course.
In expressing
ability, can and could frequently also imply willingness:
Can you help me with my homework?
Can versus May
Whether the auxiliary verb can can be used to express
permission or not — "Can I leave the room now?" ["I don't know
if you can, but you may."] — depends on the level of formality of your
text or situation.
The question is at what level can you safely ignore the
"proprieties."
Most authorities, however, recommend a stricter adherence to
the distinction, at least in formal situations.
Uses of May and Might
Two of the more troublesome modal auxiliaries are may and
might. When used in the context of granting or seeking permission, might is the
past tense of may. Might is considerably more tentative than may.
May I leave class early?
If I've finished all my work and I'm really quiet, might I
leave early?
In the context of
expressing possibility, may and might are interchangeable present and future
forms and might + have + past participle is the past form:
She might be my advisor next semester.
She may be my advisor next semester.
She might have advised me not to take biology.
Avoid confusing the sense of possibility in may with the
implication of might, that a hypothetical situation has not in fact occurred.
For instance, let's say there's been a helicopter crash at the airport. In his
initial report, before all the facts are gathered, a newscaster could say that
the pilot "may have been injured." After we discover that the pilot
is in fact all right, the newscaster can now say that the pilot "might
have been injured" because it is a hypothetical situation that has not
occurred. Another example: a body had been identified after much work by a
detective. It was reported that "without this painstaking work, the body
may have remained unidentified." Since the body was, in fact, identified,
might is clearly called for.
Uses of Will and
Would
In certain contexts, will and would are virtually
interchangeable, but there are differences. Notice that the contracted form 'll
is very frequently used for will.
Will can be used to
express willingness:
I'll wash the dishes if you dry.
We're going to the movies. Will you join us?
It can also express
intention (especially in the first person):
I'll do my exercises later on.
and prediction:
specific: The meeting will be over soon.
timeless: Humidity will ruin my hairdo.
habitual: The river will overflow its banks every spring.
Would can also be
used to express willingness:
Would you please take off your hat?
It can also express
insistence (rather rare, and with a strong stress on the word
"would"):
Now you've ruined everything. You would act that way.
and characteristic
activity:
customary: After work, he would walk to his home in West
Hartford.
typical (casual): She would cause the whole family to be
late, every time.
In a main clause,
would can express a hypothetical meaning:
My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat what
she wants.
Finally, would can
express a sense of probability:
I hear a whistle. That would be the five o'clock train.
Uses of Used to
The auxiliary verb construction used to is used to express
an action that took place in the past, perhaps customarily, but now that action
no longer customarily takes place:
We used to take long vacation trips with the whole family.
The spelling of this verb is a problem for some people
because the "-ed" ending quite naturally disappears in speaking:
"We yoostoo take long trips." But it ought not to disappear in
writing. There are exceptions, though. When the auxiliary is combined with
another auxiliary, did, the past tense is carried by the new auxiliary and the "-ed"
ending is dropped. This will often happen in the interrogative:
Didn't you use to go jogging every morning before breakfast?
It didn't use to be that way.
Used to can also be used to convey the sense of being
accustomed to or familiar with something:
The tire factory down the road really stinks, but we're used
to it by now.
I like these old sneakers; I'm used to them.
Used to is best reserved for colloquial usage; it has no
place in formal or academic text.
