Dialogues with modal verbs. Modal verbs in English

Good afternoon, Dear friends!
Today we will talk about how to use English in the most different situations: how to politely ask for permission, how to brag about your skills and abilities, how to properly maintain a dialogue and give advice about many other situations. This whole vast topic is covered by sentences with modal verbs in English.

From this article you will learn:

Why are they modal?

You can count them on your fingers, the list has only nine: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would. What are they, and why did English suddenly decide to put them in a separate category? Let's start with the fact that modality is a category that expresses the attitude of the speaker to the statement. Without them, no dialogue is built.

Modal verbs in English

In English, the listed ones help to do this. In addition, the rules for constructing a sentence with them are also special. After them, the infinitive is used without the particle to, unlike ordinary verbs.

We fix the material

If the head is spinning from the information received, do the exercises, and everything will immediately fall into place. Fill in the gaps with modal verbs.

Steve _______speak 5 languages when he was young.
For example, Steve could speak 5 languages when he was young.
_______I have a glass of water, please?
Ann _______ still be at work, but I'm not sure.
You _______go to bed earlier, you look tired.
Dogs _______ be on leads in this area.
I _______ run very fast.
_______you like to go shopping with me?
_______you call me when you get back home, please?
_______I ask you a question?
When Sarah was at school she _______wear a uniform.

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I was with you, a philologist of the English language, Ekaterina Martynova.

what do they eat?

I generally think that modal verbs are strong verbs, just like TO BE.

They can edit the sentence and help all the other 99 percent of English verbs. True, they have a lot of shades, which is why confusion often occurs. Let's try to understand the main part.

We use them to express

1. Opportunity, ability, physical skill. (Ability) - Can, Could and be able to design.

He can read. He can read.
He could swim when he was 5. He knew how to swim when he was 5 years old.
He was able to read when he was 6. He could read when he was six.

The Be able to construction also means “to succeed, to succeed”. And in the sense of a single action.

He was able to come yesterday. He managed to come yesterday.
She will be able to play tennis tomorrow. She'll be able to play tennis tomorrow.

This means that the girl KNOWS how to play tennis, and tomorrow she will simply have free time for it.

Look at the root "able" from "ability".

2. Offers When we want to offer something politely, we use the verbs Can, Could, Shall, Would.

Can I do anything for you? Is there anything I can do for you?
We could leave if you want. We could leave if you want.
Shall we dance? Shall we dance?
Would you like me to help me? Would you like me to help you?

3. Request (Request) We use Can, May (permission, opportunity), Could, Would (as a request)

Can I take it? Can I take it?
Could I take your pen? Could I take your pen? (More politely)
May I have a glass of water? Can I have a glass of water?
Would you mind me sitting here? Do you mind if I sit here?
Will you phone her? Will you call her?

By the way, Shall and Will are real modal verbs that are still in the future. Shall is now formally used with I/We .

Meaning Will is generally intention, will, desire.

Will you marry me? Yes, I will.

Will you marry me? Yes, I'm getting married! ( wish is expressed)

If a person says shall it will be something like (I got it - there is nowhere to retreat, Moscow is behind)

Shall (determination, promise and even threat)

Remember Gandalf? You shall not pass! You will not pass!!

4. Obligation Use Must, have to, ought to .

Look closely at the difference between have to and must

I must go on a diet. I have to go on a diet. (Debt from the heart - I decided so)
I have to go on a diet. (Damn, I should go on a diet, the doctor said so)
We ought to help the poor (meaning: It's good, but people don't).

5. Necessity. Expressed Must, Have to, Need, Ought to

I must buy a new jacket. I have to buy a new jacket.
He has to buy some sweets. He is forced to buy candy (Someone forced him)
I` ve got to go to a bank now. I have to go to the bank
my car needs repair. My car needs fixing.
My car needs to be repaired. My car needs repair
They don't have to / don't need to /needn't come . They don't have to come
I ought to sign this document. I have to sign this document

Note. Needn't come but don't need to come. Although it's the same.

6. Prohibition.

You can`t smoke here. You can't smoke here
You mustn't smoke here. You must not smoke here. It is forbidden.

7. Advice (Council). We use Should, had better, ought to

You should go to school. You must go to school.our
You had better finish it. You better finish this.
You ought to respect him. My advice is respect him.

8. permission. Permission.

You can't do this! You can't do it!
Could I use your pen? Can I use your pen?
You may use it. Can you use
May I go? Can I go? (More formal)
I am afraid, you can't come in. I'm afraid you can't come in

9. Possibility (probability). - Can, Could, May, Might, design to be likely.

They can be at school. They may be at school.
Tom may be here. Tom might be here
He might want some more food. He probably wants more food.
He is likely to arrive tonight. He will probably arrive tonight.

Have a great day

Yana.

Modality is nothing but an expression talking relationship to your own post. Accordingly, modal verbs are a special strictly limited lexical group, which helps to express not an action (as other verbs do), but an attitude towards the described action.

Modal verbs in English language conditionally divided into two classes: purely modal and multifunctional verbs, which can act as modals. The difference between the first group and the second is that "pure" modal verbs are created exclusively to express attitudes and nothing else, and multifunctional verbs can be used both to express modality and action, or as an auxiliary verb.

Similar lessons:

Compare:

You should eat more vegetables (You should eat more vegetables) - verb should emphasizes the attitude (namely, a wish, a recommendation).

I should eat more vegetables if I had money (I would eat more vegetables if I had money) - the verb should is an auxiliary verb for "Future in the Past".

The category of purely modal in English includes verbs: may, can, ought (to) and must. This group has a number of features of use that must be remembered.

1. The infinitive used after purely modal verbs is used without the to particle. The exception is ought(to).

Compare:

You must do the homework

You can do the homework

You may do the homework

You ought to do the homework

2. For the formation of the form singular 3rd person suffix -s is not used.

For example:

She must dance

She ought to dance

3. Only the verbs can and may have a past tense form (could and might, respectively). The verb must does not have this form, so an equivalent synonym is used instead.

Compare:

He can buy a toy today (He can buy a toy today)

He could buy a toy yesterday (He could buy a toy yesterday)

We may visit the circus in the evening (We can go to the circus in the evening)

We might visit the circle last weekend(We could go to the circus last weekend)

She must go to the doctor every day (She must visit the doctor every day)

She had to go to the doctor ten days ago (She had to go to the doctor ten days ago)

You ought to help your mother for 23 minutes a day (You should help your mother for 23 minutes a day)

You ought to have helped your mother (You should have helped your mother, but you didn't)

4. Since purely modal verbs in English are used only to express someone's attitude, they do not have impersonal forms(no gerund, indefinite form, participles).

5. Practically none of the purely modal verbs have future tense forms. Similar to the past tense case, equivalents are used to form the future tense. Exception - verb ought to (when we are talking on recommendations for the future).

Compare:

I can feed a cat (I can feed a cat)

I could feed a cat last Monday (I could feed a cat last Monday)

I will be able to feed a cat tomorrow (I can / I will have the opportunity to feed the cat tomorrow)

We may go to the hospital (we may go to the hospital)

We might go to the hospital five days ago

We shall be allowed to visit the park after the dinner (We will be able / We will be allowed to visit the park after dinner)

You must stay in your room (You must stay in your room)

You had to stay in your room last evening (Yesterday you had to / you had to stay in your room)

You will have to stay in your room tomorrow after the five (You will have / You will have to stay in your room tomorrow after five)

She ought to phone me (She should call me)

She ought to have phoned me later

She ought to phone me tomorrow (She should call me tomorrow)

6. How to create affirmative form, when creating a negation or a question, only modal verbs are used. Other auxiliary verbs not required.

Compare:

I can swim (I can swim)

Can I swim? (Can I swim?)

I can't swim (I can't swim)

I must draw (I must draw)

Must I draw? (Should I paint)

I must not draw (I must not draw)

7. Each modal verb is endowed with its own meaning, a semantic shade that distinguishes it from others.

So the verb can, as a rule, indicates an opportunity or ability, as well as permission (I can smile - I can / can / I was allowed to smile). In the form of a question, the same verb can express a request (Can I smile? - Can I smile?), And in a negative form - a prohibition (You can not smile - You can't / you can't smile).

The verb must indicates duties, the inevitability of action (I must defend her - I must / must protect her). This is the most "strong", categorical modal verb. He emphasizes the importance of action.

May is a verb that is used to express a request (May I sit? - May I sit down?), permissions (You may sit - Can you sit down), opportunities (I may sit - I can sit down), doubts, prohibitions (You may not sit - You are not allowed to sit down), probabilities (She may go - She can go).

Ought to expresses the need (He ought to learn the lesson - He needed to learn a lesson), wish, advice, recommendation (You ought to visit your parents - You should / should visit your parents), assumption (They ought to be near the river now - They must be near the river now).

Multifunctional verbs that can be modal include:

1. Need (emphasizes the need, expediency or lack thereof)

2. Should (guess, advice, necessity, probability)

3. Will / Would (intention, order, refusal, request)

4. Dare (courage)

Compare:

You need not do it (There was no need to do this) - need acts as a modal verb.

He was ill and needed a rest (He was sick and needed rest) - need acts as a semantic verb.

You should sleep (You should sleep) - should functions as a modal verb.

I should sleep if I was tired (I would sleep if I was tired) - should acts as an auxiliary verb.

I won't listen to you (I won't listen to you) - will not act as a modal verb.

I will be hiking next summer Next summer I will go camping) - will acts as an auxiliary verb.

He dared not breathe (He dared not breathe) - dare acts as a modal verb.

He dared to look at her (He dared to look at her) - dare acts as a semantic verb.

Hello dear friends! There are a number of special verbs in the English language, the formation of which does not follow any rules. English grammar, these are the so-called purely modal verbs. This type of verb expresses the possibility, probability, necessity, permissibility of an action. The most common modal verbs in English are "CAN" and "COULD". Features of the use of the verbs "can" and "could" in English

Therefore, in the course of today's lesson, we will look at living examples of cases of using the verb “ could" to express the possibility (ability, probability) of performing an action and compare it with the verb " can". The first thing you need to know about these elements in order to get your point across is that the verb " can" is used in the present tense and can refer to the present and future, and " could" is used in the past tense.

Tune in to the working mood by activating your memory and remembering the vocabulary of one of the previous interesting audio lessons Rooms in the house

And now let's look at examples of using these modal elements of English grammar using simple dialogue. This time, the Voice of America radio reporter invited his colleagues to make an interesting report about the natives of the United States. Martin Lerner tries to get on the phone necessary information about powwows- meetings of the Indians - and decides to go there.

Today you will not see the text of the dialogue, so listen carefully to the audio recording telephone conversation Martin Lerner with other course characters. It's time to learn to listen to English speech, and try to understand the meaning and essence of the conversation without translation into Russian: /wp-content/uploads/2014/11/russian_english_069.mp3

Repeat aloud after the speaker all the words and phrases with modal verbs " can" and " could» several times until your pronunciation is as close as possible to the pronunciation of the original. Remember that American English is one language in which pronunciation plays a very significant role in understanding the meaning of a statement!

English modal verbs

What else you need to know about the modal verbs "can" and "could": they do not change for person and number, that is, in the third person singular they do not have the ending "-s". Read the grammar help after the table. And to make it easier to understand the meaning of the dialogue, learn all the vocabulary from the table with translation from Russian into English.

Grammar help:

Verb can - "I can, maybe we can" - means skill, physical ability:

I can do it - I can, able to do it

Verb could - "could, could, could" - means the possibility, the probability of performing some action, while sentences with the verb "can" mean confidence, certainty.