Taufika Aristya Putri: Modal Auxiliaries

I. Function

a. Can

- To express a person or thing’s ability to do something

- To express or ask for permission to do something

- To describe the possibility that something can happen

- To issue requests and offers

Could

- Indicating what someone or something was able to do in the past

- Instead of can as a more polite way of making a request or asking for permission

- To express a slight or uncertain possibility

- For making a suggestion or offer.

b. May

- To request, grant, or describe permission

- To politely offer to do something for someone

- To express the possibility of something happening or occurring

- To express a wish or desire that something will be the case in the future

- Rhetorical device to express or introduce an opinion or sentiment about something

Might

- To express an unlikely or uncertain possibility

- Acts as a very formal and polite way to ask for permission

- The past-tense form of may when asking permission in reported speech

- To suggest an action, or to introduce two differing possibilities

c. Must

- To express necessity

- To emphasize something positive that you believe someone should do

- To rhetorically introduce or emphasize an opinion or sentiment

- To indicate that something is certain or very likely to happen or be true.

d. Will

- To express willingness or ability

- To make requests or offers

- To complete conditional sentences

- To express likelihood in the immediate present

- To issue commands.

Would

- It is used in place of will for things that happened or began in the past

- To create more formal or polite sentences

- To express requests and preferences

- To describe hypothetical situations

- To politely offer or ask for advice or an opinion.

e. Shall

- To form future tenses

- To make requests or offers

- To complete conditional sentences, or to issue maxims or commands

Should

- To politely express obligations or duties

- To ask for or issue advice, suggestions, and recommendations

- To describe an expectation

- To create conditional sentences

- To express surprise

II. Differences

a. Can and Could

Could, of course, functions as the past tense of can, and like other past forms, it sometimes simply indicates past time: In those days there was no security and anybody could walk in, day or night. But, like the past forms of other verbs, it can also indicate things like tentativeness, indirectness, deference and a wish not to impose.

b. May and Might

Right away we notice that might deals with situations that are speculative or did not actually happen, i.e. hypothetical, whereas may deals with situations that are possible or could be factual. An easy way to express/remember this difference is that might suggests a lower probability than does may. If something is very far-fetched, you probably want to use might. You could say might is for things that are mighty far-fetched. The second distinction, which is the more important of the two, between these two words is that might is the past tense of may.

c. Must and Have to

A key distinction between must and have to can be found in the negative forms. Whereas You must go and You have to go can be regarded as broadly the same in terms of meaning, You mustn’t go and you don’t have to go are quite different, the first indicating that going is prohibited in some way, or even dangerous, while the second implies an absence of obligation or need.

d. Will and Would

When we use “will”, it indicates an intention to do something in a situation that is really possible or likely to happen. However, when we use “would”, it indicates an intention to do something in a situation that is only in our imagination or that is very unlikely to happen.

e. Shall and Should

Should on the other hand is commonly considered as a past tense of ‘shall’; however it does not always act as such. ‘Should’ being a modal verb, changes usage depending on the context. A modal verb gives more information about the function of the main verb that it governs.

III. Examples

Can and Could

a. Jasmine can go to college in the fall

b. I can’t live without you

c. Aqila could speak several languages

d. Jasmine could not be here at the party

May and Might

a. The instructor may come to class late today

b. You may leave when you have finished your exam

c. The criminal might not have been caught, had you not sounded the alarm

d. Athallah might have called earlier, but Jasmine was not home

Must and Have to/Had to