Change in Modals

What are Modals?

To put it simply, Modals are auxiliary verbs that are conjugated to express a certain kind of message. Each sentence in the English language speaks about an event, either that has taken place or carried out by the subject. It is because of the incidence of an action, a verb is present in the sentence. Some verbs are called modals, which pertain to the ‘modality’ of a sentence in specific terms of the event.

A modality refers to a particular mode in which an experience takes place and how we interpret it. It is essentially the process of an event, its logistics and how it has unfolded. In English grammar, it refers to the way and degree with which an incident takes place. It refers to the possibility of this event, how probable it is, whether it is allowed to take place, etc.

Modal Auxiliary Verbs

There are several modal auxiliary verbs that express different meanings in sentences. Here is a list of the same:

• Do
• Have
• Can
• Could
• Should
• Shall
• Must
• Would
• Will
• May
• Might
• Ought

Each of these words expresses different meanings. Several of these words are essential parts of sentences as grammatical elements that tell us about the tense or other kinds of sentence structure. Modal auxiliary verbs also explain the voice and mood of a tense.

It is important to note that modal auxiliary verbs cannot be used in a sentence without the context of the main verb. For example, one may say, “I will go to school tomorrow,” while using the word ‘will’ as an auxiliary to the verb ‘go’. If there is no verb after the modal auxiliary, the sentence will cease to make sense.

Alternatively, sentences such as “I will.” are also grammatically correct because they generally respond to a question or a command. For example, it could be a response to the question, “Have you finished your homework?” or “Are you going to the park today?” Thus, the context has already been set by the previous statement. An alternative way to respond to either of these statements is: “I will finish it later,” or “I will go to the park at 5:00.” Both of these sentences, once again, have another verb after the modal auxiliary ‘will’.

Modal Expression

Modal words express a number of sentiments in a sentence, some of which have been mentioned before. The following is a comprehensive list of all the expressions brought forth by modals:

• Possibility (can, could, might, may)
• Probability (will, might, may, can, could)
• Likelihood (could)
• Certainty (will, must, shall)
• Permission (can, could, may, might)
• Prohibition (cannot, may not, will not)
• Suggestions (could, might, may)
• Request (can, could, might, may, shall)
• Ability (can)
• Obligation (should, ought, must)
• Order (have to, do)
• Advice (could)

Change in Modals in Reported Speech

Reported speech is a relatively simple concept in English grammar. It refers to when we change direct speech to indirect speech. It is done by changing the conjugation of the verb and the sentence structure. When it comes to changes in modals, reported speech is a bit tricky because the conjugation of auxiliaries is not the same as regular verbs. Here’s a list where present tenses are written first, then the conjugation for reported speech:

• Can to could
• Will to would
• Shall to should

Let’s take a few examples to understand this better.

Example 1:

Active voice: Samantha asked, “Can I eat some cake?”

Reported speech: Samantha asked if she could eat some cake.

Example 2:

Active voice: Tanya said, “I will go to the museum later.”

Reported speech: Tanya said that she would go to the museum later.

Example 3:

Active voice: Ma said to me, “You shall wait for me in the car.”

Reported speech: Ma said that I should wait for her in the car.

Conclusion

Modal auxiliary verbs are a vital part of English grammar. Several sentences will cease to make sense if either the auxiliary or action verbs are removed from the equation. In this sense, we must remember that each element of English language structure plays a vital role in sentence formation.