Modals Verb

Modals Verb 

Modals Verb: In this post you'll get to read about Modals Verb, nature of modals verb and functions of modals verb. 

Modals

The finites which express the mode or manner of the actions denoted in the principal verb are termed as modal. This class of helping verbs not only assists in forming questions and negatives but expresses a wide range of meanings also.

These helping verbs are "can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, ought to, have to, has to and had to. These are also known as modal auxiliaries.

These modal auxiliaries express the degree of certainty of the action in the sentence or the attitude or opinion of the speaker concerning the action. "Need, dare and used to" are called semi-modals.

Nature of Modals verb

• Modals are never used alone.
(a) I can a car (incorrect)
(b) I can drive a car (correct)

• Modals don't change according to the number or person of the subject.
(a) I can speak  (b) she can sing  (c) We can do  (d) They can  play

• Modals don't have the infinitive form. We can't place 'to' with them in order to use them in a sentence.
(a) He must to do the work (incorrect)
(b) He must do the work (correct)

Functions of Modals verb

• Will
(i) To show promise, intention, willingness, determination with the first person (I, We)
(a) I will give a gift on your birthday. (promise)
(b) We will help him. (willingness)
(c) I will change my habits.(determination)

(ii) To express request, invitation, insistence, assumption, characteristic or habit.
(a) Will you please help me ? (request)
(b) She will be in the house during holidays. (assumption)
(c) The lion will usually kill other animals. (characteristic)

• Negative form of will : Will not / Won't
(a) I will not spend my time idle.
(b) She won't come to the party.
(c) They won't win the game.

• Would (Past form of 'will') 
(i) It expresses the past form of will
(a) He told me that he would help me.
(b) The problem was how I would reach there.

(ii) To express past habit
(a) He would get up at a dawn for a walk in the garden.
(b) She would have a cup of green tea in the morning.

(iii) For request
(a) Would you please help me ?
(b) Would you like to join us ?

(iv) To express wish
(a) I wish you would come round soon.
(b) I wish you were here with me.

(v) To express an imaginary condition
(a) I would have helped him if I were here.
(b) I would have a house if earned money.

• Negative form of would : Would not / Wouldn't
(a) He wouldn't get here tomorrow.

• Shall
(i) To ask for suggestion, request, advice with the first person (I, We) in the interrogative
(a) Shall I start a new business ? (suggestion)
(b) Shall I have a cup of tea from your shop ? (request)
(c) Shall we start the work ? (request)

(ii) In the second and third person to indicate threat, warning, command, promise, assurance and determination
(a) You shall go now. (command)
(b) If you disobey the rules, you shall be punished. (threat)

• Negative form of Shall : (Shall not / Shan't)
(a) She shall not dance tomorrow.
(b) He shan't be disqualified.

• Should (Past form of 'shall') 
(i) To express duty or obligation
(a) I should help my friends. (duty)
(b) You should respect your elders. (obligation)

(ii) To express opinion
(a) He should be on the way to Delhi.

(iii) To give or take advice or suggestion
(a) You should go to a good doctor.
(b) You should obey your parents.

(iv) After 'lest' when someone expresses fear
(a) Walk carefully lest you should fall down.
(b) He started early lest he should miss the flight.

• Negative form of Should : Should not / Shouldn't
(a) You should not mix with evil company.
(b) You should not make a noise in the class.

• Can
(i) To express an ability, capability, capacity or power.
(a) I can do the work. (ability)
(b) She can pass the examination. (capability)
(c) Can you understand English. (capacity)
(d) I can grant you leave. (power)

(ii) To show possibility
(a) I can go there.
(b) She can help you.

(iii) To take or give permission.
(a) Can I talk to you ?
(b) You can park your car here.

• Negative form of Can: Can not / Can't
(a) He can not read.
(b) I can not go against him.
(c) She can't speak now.

• Could (Past form of 'can')
(i) To express ability / talent in the past.
(a) She could dance well.
(b) We could win the last game.

(ii) To express polite request
(a) Could I have your book ?
(b) Could I have a glass of water ?

• Negative form of Could : Could not / Couldn't
(a) She couldn't cook food.
(b) Could you not speak slowly ?

• May
(i) To show possibility or probability
(a) She may come to our home today.
(b) He may pass this year.

(ii) To give or take permission
(a) May I come in Sir ?
(b) He may do what he likes.

(iii) To wish or pray
(a) May God bless you.
(b) May he come round soon.

(iv) To show purpose
(a) He is working hard so that he may pass in the exam.
(b) She is practising so that she may win.

• Negative form of May: May not / Mayn't
(a) It may not rain today.
(b) She may not present at the party.

• Might (Past form of 'May')
(i) To express less possibility
(a) He might help you
(b) You might win the match.

(ii) For permission
(a) Might I begin to work ?
(b) Might I start writing ?

(iii) To express a guess
(a) That might be my friend.

• Negative form of Might: Might not / Mightn't
(a) It mightn't work well.
(b) She might not talk to you.

Might is use when something is less likely and May when it is more likely.

• Must
(i) To express necessity or obligation
(a) You must take part in the competition.
(b) We must love our nation.

(ii) To indicate assumption or conclusion
(a) He must be there at the library.
(b) He must be a good person.

(iii) In case of prohibition
(a) You must not bunk class.
(b) You must nit break rules.

• Negative form of Must : Must not / Mustn't
(a) You must not run in the sunlight.
(b) You must not write your name on desks.

• Have to / Has to / Had to
(i) To express obligation or compulsion
(while talking about rules, laws)
(a) I have to reach school early today.
(b) He has to do the work.
(c) We had to follow the instruction.

• Negative form of Have to : Don't have to
(a) I don't have to study till late night.
(b) She doesn't have to cook food.

• Ought to 
(i) To express moral obligation or duty.
(a) You ought to respect your elders.
(b) We ought to love our country.
(c) We ought to speak the truth.

(ii) To give advice
(a) You ought to work hard to achieve success.

• Negative form of Ought to : Ought not to / Oughtn't to
(a) You ought not to hate.
(b) You ought not to insult others.

• Use of Need, Need to, Dare and Used to
Need and Dare are considered semi-modals because they can be used either as modal auxiliaries or as main verbs.

• Need / Need to
As a modal auxiliary verb in negative terms, it indicates absence of obligation. It expresses the speaker's authority or advice and is used for the present and the future.

(i) The interrogative is formed by inversion.
(a) Need he speak to his friend ?

(ii) Its past is needed to in the affirmative sentence, need not have in the negative and need have in the interrogative.
(a) I needed to go to office. (affirmative in the past)
       Need I have gone to office ? (interrogative in the past)
       You needn't have gone to office. (negative in the past)

• Dare
As a modal auxiliary, dare refers to being bold and courageous. The negative is formed by dare not and the interrogative by inversion.
(a) I dare not talk to my father.
(b) Dare you talk to him ?

• Used to
(i) A discontinued habit or a past situation which is no more in the present.
(a) He used to smoke daily (now he gave up smoking)

(ii) Something existing in the past.
(a) This place used to be a dense forest earlier.

Also read:

• Noun  
• Pronoun 
• Preposition 
• Tense correction

Dear friends, here I have tried to cover up modals verb along with all the necessary topics related to the modals verb. Hope you're satisfied,