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Grammar
Course: Grammar > Unit 2
Lesson 6: Verb aspect and modal verbsModal verbs
There's a class of helper verbs known as modals that we use to express a bunch of conditions: we can use them to give advice, make guesses at how necessary or likely something is, make requests of people, and so on. They're super useful.
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- Hello! What is about "will" in future simple tense? I have thought it is a n auxiliary verb, but now, considering the lesson on "helping verbs", it looks like it is a modal one.(22 votes)
- What if I told you that you were correct then, and correct now?
Will
is an auxiliary verb, but it's also a modal verb: modal verbs are a kind of auxiliary verb.(46 votes)
- "were you gone for the interview?" Is this a correct statement. I am asking here if the person infront of me went for the interview yesterday.(8 votes)
- I think a better way to say that would be, "Did you go to the interview?"
"Were you gone" seems to suggest that the person was absent during the interview.(25 votes)
- "He must have gone that way"
"must" is a model verb, "Gone" is a action verb . But what about " have" ?(6 votes)- Have is an auxiliary/helping verb that is helping
gone
. It establishes the perfect aspect, and describes an action as being complete.(26 votes)
- what is the difference between could and would ?(8 votes)
- "could" is related to possibility
"would" is related to intentionality(11 votes)
- I don't fully understand yet. Can someone please help?(6 votes)
- I once was young, but now I'm old, and there are few things that I fully understand, even now. The main question is not whether you 'fully' understand it or not, but whether you understand it 'well enough' to get on with life.(5 votes)
- Is there a difference between "I must do something." and "I have to do something."? Same question with "You can't do that!" and "You must not do that!".(4 votes)
- Hi Fatima, we meet again lol
The top two:
I must do something." and "I have to do something."
They both have the same meaning basically.
The bottom two is just like what David Alexander said, Can't is ability and Must not is asking for permission
Have a nice day again!(3 votes)
- is that all the. modal verbs?(4 votes)
- i don`t get it.(3 votes)
- When that happens to me, I listen again, maybe even several times. I may eventually take notes. These lessons are well taught, and they eventually sink in.(2 votes)
- Couldn't you say "to will" as in willing yourself to do something or is that a different meaning of the word will?(2 votes)
- The string of letters w-i-l-l produces more than one word, all of which are spelled the same, but each of which is used differently.
As a "modal", w-i-l-l functions to indicate the future.
As a "simple verb" w-i-l-l indicates volition.
As a "noun" w-i-l-l indicates intention
As a "noun" w-i-l-l indicates the document through which property is conveyed from one generation to another upon death.
These are different words, but they're all spelled the same.(3 votes)
- ⢀⣀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣤⣴⠶⠿⠛⠛⠛⠛⠛⠛⠛⠿⠷⣶⣤⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⣠⡾⠟⠛⠛⠛⠿⣦⣄⠀⣠⣴⠿⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠻⢷⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⣼⡟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢙⡿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢿⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⢰⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢿⣦⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⢸⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡎⠉⢱⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡜⠁⠹⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠈⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⡇⠀⢸⡇⠀⠀⠀⢰⡇⠀⢠⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⢹⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣶⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣶⣾⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢻⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠹⣷⡴⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⣷⡀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠁⢠⣶⣶⣶⣦⠈⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣷⡀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣏⠀⢈⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣇⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⡟⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣄⠀⠀⠀⣀⣴⡿⠁⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣨⣿⣿⡛⠛⠉⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⠋⠁⠙⢧⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⠏⠈⠙⠻⣶⣄⠀⠀⠀
⠀⢀⣴⣿⣯⣴⡆⠀⠀⠀⠙⢦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⠟⠁⠀⠀⢰⣶⣬⣻⣷⡀⠀
⠀⣾⠏⢸⣿⠿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠳⣤⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⠶⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⢿⡿⠹⣿⡀
⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠲⢦⣤⣤⣀⣀⠀⢀⣀⣠⣤⣤⠶⠛⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣹⡇
⠀⠻⣷⣄⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣠⣬⣿⠟⠛⠻⣿⣯⣥⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣠⣴⡿⠃
⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠛⠿⠿⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⠿⠿⠿⠟⠛⠛⠋⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠛⠛⠻⠿⠿⠿⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⠾⠿⠛⠛⠋⠁please upvote(3 votes)
Video transcript
- [Voiceover] Hello grammarians! Today we're gonna talk
about a class of auxiliary, or helper verbs, called the modal verbs. These are verbs that
have special properties and help other verbs. But what is modality? My fellow grammarian,
I am so glad you asked. Modality is when we use
these verbs to express conditions on stuff. So we can use these verbs
to determine if something is likely to happen, or
certain to have happened. Whether or not something is possible, or whether or not we have
the ability to do something. Whether or not we have the
permission to do something. And whether or not we have the obligation or requirement or need to do something. You already know all of
these verbs, I promise you. You just didn't know this name for them. Let's meet the modals. Roll call, here we go. May, might, must, can, could, shall, should, will, would. Those are the modals. So here's what modal verbs can do. Thing number one, they
agree with everything. So you can take any one of these modals and you can use any subject in the world and it's not gonna change, right? You take a word like talk, for instance, and you would say I talk, Diane talks. Right, you add the s. But any subject in any
sentence is going to take the modal verb the same way. Let me show you. I can do it, you can do it, she can do it, they can do it, we can do it. It's all the same. They agree with everything. Something else that modals
do is actually something that they don't do. They don't have a to form, this is what we call the infinitive. So there's no such thing as to may, or to could. That just doesn't exist. So modals don't have infinitives. You can't say I want to should. That is an illegal operation in English. It is ungrammatical. It doesn't matter what
version of English you speak, across all varieties of
English you cannot to should. And finally, a thing
that modal verbs can do is indicate modality. Which, like we said,
establishes conditions. So let's take a look at some examples. So the word must, right? We can use the word must
in a couple different ways. So, if you imagine a
detective looking up from some tracks, some muddy
bootprints on the floor, with her magnifying glass. She looks up and she says
"He must have gone that way!" That detective is using must
to express a likelihood, a high likelihood. This must have happened. But if you're at an amusement park and the roller coaster you
want to ride has a height requirement, the sign probably says "You must be this tall to
ride the Doom-Coaster." This is like a necessary condition. By a similar token, if
you enter someone's house and they demand that
you take off your shoes, they would say "You
must remove your shoes." Similarly with may, we
can use may to express a possibility, like saying "It may rain." That's something that
could possibly happen. Or to give someone permission, like "You may enter." You can use a word like
can to express ability. You could say "I can eat
ten pounds of broccoli!" And that's expressing your
ability to do a thing. We also use modal verbs
like this to talk about conditions, or stuff that
isn't going to happen or maybe could happen. And so, for example, in
this sentence, we would say "I would make the bed, but I'm tired." Because the possibility
exists, however remote, that the bed would be made by me, but I don't feel like it. So I'm using would to offer an excuse, I'm saying this could possibly
happen, this would happen, except for this one other problem, which is that I'm sleepy. You can also use modal
verbs to give advice to someone, as in "You shouldn't do that." And something that is special to will, and, to a lesser extent, shall, is that they can form the future. Shall used to be a lot more popular, and it still is in British
English, but less so in standard American. So would say "He will
win the competition." Or "He shall win the competition." And use of this modal verb will, or shall, indicates that that thing
that you're talking about is happening in the future. These verbs are very powerful. You should learn how to use them and in fact if you can
complete the exercises, then you will master these tricky verbs. You can learn anything. David out.