Modal Verbs
Why and How?
should
must
ought
could
have to
may
would
need to
might
can
be able to
7 August 2015. TGC, The University of Edinburgh
will
Co-authors
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Anže Perne (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Juan Carlos Dominguez (Havana, Cuba)
Karol Kurant (Warsaw, Poland)
Olga Medvedeva (Vilnius, Lithuania)
The Aims
• To reflect on modality in general:
its presence in a language, its importance and
how it may be expressed
• To present practical activities we can use in class,
based on public signs
Modal Verbs vs Other Verbs
• Modality is expressed by linguistic devices that
indicate the degree to which an observation is
possible, probable, likely, certain, permitted,
or prohibited. In English, these notions are most
commonly expressed by modal auxiliaries,
sometimes combined with not.
Modality in our languages
• You should do your homework.
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Powinieneś zrobić pracę domową.
Moraš narediti domačo nalogo.
Tau reikia daryti namų darbus.
Tы должен сделать домашнюю работу.
Debes hacer la tarea.
ABILITY
• CAN – ability,
CANNOT/CAN‘T – lack of ability
She can speak Spanish but she can‘t speak Italian.
• WILL BE ABLE TO – future ability:
Will I able able to speak fluently by the end of the
course?
• Sometimes we use BE ABLE TO where
CAN/COULD is grammatically
impossible:
I haven‘t been able to drive since I dislocated my wrist.
POSSIBILITY, DEDUCTION AND
SPECULATION
• CAN – possibility (MAY in scientific
and academic English):
Drinks in restaurants can be very expensive.
Over-prescribing of antibiotics may lead to the rapid
development of resistant strains.
• MAY, MIGHT, COULD – specific
possibilities ('perhaps'/'maybe')
There can be life on Mars.
There may be life on Mars.
• WILL/WON‘T BE ABLE TO – we are
certain that something will be
possible/impossible in the future:
We‘ll be able to travel to Mars, but we won‘t be able
to travel to Jupiter.
• MAY/MIGHT + Past Participle – a
possible completed action by a time
in the future:
Call me next Tuesday; I might have finished the
project by then.
ARRANGEMENTS, SUGGESTIONS,
OFFERS, ETC.
• CAN, COULD, BE ABLE TO –
possible arrangements for a time in
the future:
The doctor could see you at six.
I‘ll be able to see you after the lesson.
• MAY, MIGHT – arrangement is
uncertain
The dentist might be free to see you immediately after
lunch; I‘ll have to check the diary.
ASKING FOR AND
GIVING/REFUSING PERMISSION
• CAN/CAN‘T – permission granted or
refused by the person being asked
'Can I use your phone?' 'Yes, of course you can.'
I‘ll be able to see you after the lesson.
• MAY, MIGHT – in (more) formal
situations
May I interrupt?
Might I ask the court for a recess?
OBLIGATION AND NECESSITY
• MUST, HAVE TO – obligation:
You must start working harder! (I say so)
You have to turn left here. (It‘s the law)
We must / have to be there by six. (no difference)
Brenda should / ought to be home by now.
• MUST, HAVE TO, NEED TO –
necessity
I really need to / must / have to get some more sleep.
I‘m always exhausted.
PROHIBITION AND CRITICISM
• MUSTN‘T – a prohibition:
You musn‘t touch that kettle. It‘s hot!
• SHOULDN‘T/OUGHTN‘T TO –
a weaker (often moral) prohibition
You really shouldn‘t/oughtn‘t to speak to your
mother like that!
• Prohibition by an external authority
– other modal verbs or non-modal
expressions:
Guests may not use the pool after 11 pm.
Women can‘t/aren‘t allowed to drive in same Arab
countries.
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2/2/2017
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RECOMMENDATION AND ADVICE
• MUST – strong recommendations and
advice:
You must do something about that cough.
• SHOULD/OUGHT TO – less
emphatic
Children ought not to spend long periods in front of a
computer screen.
• HAD BETTER (NOT) – strong advice
•
I think you‘d better leave now.
You‘d better not drive.
LOGICAL DEDUCTION AND
PROBABILITY
• MUST – something we believe to be
true because of evidence:
This must be the place – it‘s the only restaurant in the
street. (OPP: can‘t)
I thought the eclipse was today, but it must be
happening tomorrow.
• HAVE (GOT) TO – emphatic logical
deduction:
There has (got) to be some mistake. I didn‘t order this!
• SHOULD – probability,
SHOULDN‘T/OUGHT NOT TO –
improbability:
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The plane should be landing about now.
There shouldn‘t be any problems with traffic at that
time of the evening.
• There are different types of modality, e.g.
epistemic, deontic, dynamic, disposition, etc.
• Deontic modality is concerned with the speaker's
directive attitude towards an action to be carried
out, as in You must go now.
• Public signs
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How to teach deontic modality using public signs?
Task 1
( to see how much Ss know about modal verbs, whether they can use them
accurately, how wide their range of modal verbs/expressions is)
Look at the public signs and list all possible ways of expressing their
meaning verbally
* if you have a monolingual/multilingual clas,….
Task 2 * T provides the original signs ( with the text on them) and Ss
compare their suggestions / possible variations ( incl other language if ss
share any)
Task 3 T gives a sign ( with the text) ss come up with the best interpretation
( please don’t leave your car… -> You mustn’t leave…, you aren’t allowed to
leave…
Task 4 in groups ( timelimit ~ 5 – 7 min) provide a list of instructions /
warning / advice… under the title “ On your own in Edinburg…” “ How
not to run into trouble in Edinburg…