Modal Verbs

What are Verbs?

Verbs can be defined as the words that are used to tell the action of a subject. 

For example, sleeping, crying, running, laughing, drinking, eating, reading, playing, cooking, swimming, dancing, singing, painting, etc., are verbs as they talk about activity. 

What are Auxiliary Verbs?

An auxiliary verb (also known as an assisting verb) is used with a major verb to help communicate the tense, mood, or voice of the main verb.

The main auxiliary verbs are to be, to have, and to do. These verbs appear in the following forms:

To be: is, am, are, was, were, being, been, will be

To have: has have, had, will have, having

To do: do, does, did, will do 

What are Modal Verbs?

Modal verbs are used to describe hypothetical conditions like guidance, capability, or requests (see the following section for a complete list). They’re employed in conjunction with the main verb to alter its meaning somewhat. They can’t always be employed on their own because they’re auxiliary verbs. (A modal verb should only occur alone if the primary verb is obvious from the context.)

For example, let us consider two sentences and try to figure out their difference. 

Sentence 1: I study every Tuesday. 

Sentence 2: I can study every Tuesday. 

Now, if we read these two sentences, we can spot their difference. The first sentence, or Sentence 1, says that a person, let us consider him “C”, reads studies every Tuesday. But, in the second sentence, or Sentence 2, it says that C can study every Tuesday. This means that he does not study every Tuesday, but if required, then he is capable of doing so. Here, the second example, or Sentence 2, uses a modal verb, i.e., can. 

The most frequently used modal verbs are:

1. May
2. Might
3. Can
4. Could
5. Should
6. Would
7. Must
8. Will

Besides these also, there are more modal verbs, although the above-listed ones are the most common and the most frequently used. 

Modal Verbs

Here’s a rundown of when modal verbs should be used, along with some examples:

Likelihood:

Sometimes, there are certain things that seem to be likely (or we get a feeling that that is how one thing should be), but still, there is no assurance if what we find to be likely is truly in that manner or not. For such cases, we can use the verbs must and should to show probability without surety. 

For example, 

1. His teachers must be so proud of him. 
2. My sister should be home by now. 

Possibility:

When we are in such a situation where we can sense that something is possible, but it is not certain, we can use the modal verbs could, may, or might. 

For example, 

1. By judging her laziness, she mightfail today’s exam.
2. He may become the youngest Badminton player ever. 

Ability:

There are certain modal verbs that are used to show the ability/disability. Such modal verbs are can, cannot, etc. 

For example, 

1. I canspeak 5 languages.
2. Her sister cannot cook. 

Asking Permission:

In modern usage, while asking for permission, we can use the modal verbs can,may, or could. 

For example, 

1. May I come in?
2. Could I join in too? 

Request:

Similarly, if we need help, and we are trying to ask someone to help us out by making them a request, we can use the modal verbs will, would, could, or can.

1. Could you please give me yesterday’s notes?
2. Would you turn down the speaker’s volume? 

Suggestion/Advice:

If we are trying to give someone a suggestion or advice, we can use the modal verb should. 

For example,

1. It would help if you started studying early. 
2. You should attend all the classes in school. 

Command:

If we want to command someone, we should use the modal verbs must, haveto, or need to. 

For example, 

1. You must wash your hands before eating. 
2. You need to reach the office before 10 am. 

Obligation or Necessity;

We can also use the modal verbs must, have to, or need to express a necessary action or such as a duty or an obligation. 

1. You have to wait for the teacher to come. 
2. You need to put some ice on the burn. 

Some exercise on Modal Verbs

1. It’s very chilly today. Do you think it might snow later?
2. You should not leave your door unlocked when you go to school. 
3. They ought to have filled the car with petrol before they set off. 
4. Mom says we can watch cartoons after we have finished our homework. 
5. Jake could not have seen me because he walked past without saying ‘Hello.’ 

Conclusion:

We use modal verbs every single day in our lives. They are helping verbs that modify the meanings of the verbs as per the context. The proper meaning and usage of modal verbs which will help to should be learnt to use them correctly.