Modals and semimodals

Modals and semimodals

1. Modal and semi modal verbs give an indication of speaker’s attitude and of the relationship between the speaker and listener.

2. Ability Can express ability in the present; could express general ability in the past. He’s lucky he can remember facts very easily. When I was a child I could speak Welsh but now I’ve Forgotten it completely.

3. To talk about an achievement or something that was done with difficulty, we use was/were able to + infinitive. She was able to memorise all the words before the test.

4. We can also use was/were able to to express that someone was successful in doing something on one occasion. Were you able to get his autograph after the concert?

5. Permision. Can is often used to express permission; can't is often used to express prohibition in the present and in general time; could and couldn't are used to express permission and prohibition in the past. You can leave whenever you want. (permission)

   • In the UK, children can't leave school until they are 16. (prohibition). In the 1950s, children in the UK could leave school at 14. (permission). In the 1950s in the UK, young adults couldn't vote until they were 21. (prohibition).

6. May is sometimes used to express permission and prohibition in the present. It is more formal than can. Members may not wear jeans or T-shirts at formal ceremonies.

7. Request, suggestions and polite orders. Can and could are both used to make offers and requests and to give polite orders and suggestions: can is informal; could is neutral. Can/Could I help you with that? (offer). Can/Could you test me on these words? (request). You can/could check the recipe and find the ingredients while I wash up. (polite order/suggestion).

   • Might is sometimes used to request permission, but only in very formal situations. Might I be allowed to give an opinion on this matter? Might I suggest that we take a vote on this proposal?

8. Possibility and probability. May/might/could are used to speculate about the present and future: might indicates a lower probability or more uncertainty than may or could; couldn't indicates almost total certainty, much greater than may not or might not.

   • They could decide to take the train. (possible) She may get here on time if she catches the early train. (possible). She might get here on time if she catches the later train. (less probable). She couldn't arrive before 10 - it's impossible. (certain).
     • May/might/could have + past participle are used to speculate about the past. They're late. They may have been held up in the rush hour traffic. I left a message at their hotel but they might not have got it yet. They couldn't have met by coincidence in London - it's too big.
       • May/might/could + have + past participle are used to talk about possibilities in the past that we know didn’t happen. The context has to be examined to decide wh the structure has this meaning or whether it expressen speculation about something that did actually happen. Didn't you use a map? You might have got lost. (But you didn't.) She was very intelligent and could have gone to university (But she didn't).
         • Can't is used to express negative certainty about the present based on evidence. This bill can't be right. We've only had two coffees! Can't + have + past participle is used to express negative certainty about the past based on evidence. This doesn't taste right. They can't have followed the recipe.
           • Can't is used to express negative certainty about the present based on evidence. This bill can't be right. We've only had two coffees! Can't + have + past participle is used to express negative certainty about the past based on evidence. This doesn't taste right. They can't have followed the recipe.
             • Can/could are used to talk about theoretical possibility: could indicates less confidence than can. Might indicates less confidence than COULD AND CAN. The school can take 1,000 pupils - it usually does. The school could take 1,000 pupils but it would be difficult in terms of space.
               • May/might/could + be + verb + -ing are used to speculate about events and situations in the immediate present and in the future. Where's Sam? He might be studying in his room. Fiona could be managing her own company a year from now.

9. Obligation. Must / have to are used to say what you think is necessary, or to recommend someone else to do something. You must remember to email Jelena.

   • Have to (not must) is used to say what someone else has told you to do. The speaker is not giving their own opinion. I have to write 500 words for my project.

10. Necessity. Need to / don't need to + infinitive are used to say what is necessary. You need to make three copies of this. *You needn't hurry. *You don’t need to hurry.

    • Didn't need to is used to say that it wasn't necessary to do something, so you didn't. I didn't need to go to the bank. (So I didn't.)
      • Needn't have + past participle is used to say you did something but it wasn't necessary. I needn't have gone to the bank. (I went to the bank but it wasn't necessary.)