Modal Verbs

Modal Verbs

martedì 7 novembre 2017 08.00

Modal verbs are a closed class:

Can Could

May Might

Shall Should

Must Need (to)

Dare (to) Ought (to)

Will Would

They present the NICE syntactic features of auxiliaries:

Negation "You cannot do that"

- Inversion "May I ask a question"

- Code "Yes, you may" (Ellipsis)

- Emphasis "No, you can't"

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They are incomplete verb forms:

They have no infinitive

- They do not have 3rd person conjugations

- They have limited past forms

- They have no past or present participles

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Epistemic (propositional) modality: it expresses a level of probability that a proposition or event is true and/or will occur:

Will - Shall - Must - Should - Ought to - Can - Could - May - Might

Only present and future meaning, never past, when used with the simple infinitive: "I might go - I should go"

They have a conjectural or contra-factual sense when used with the perfect infinitive: "He may have done it - It can't have happened".

Deontic modality: relates to ability, permission, volition or obligation

Can - May - Will - Must - Shall - Should

Generally, uses a present and/or future tense. Past references are often made with alternative forms, such as:

"To be possible/permitted/allowed/able"

"To be willing"

"To be supposed to"

But a true past form can only be made with "can" and "would":

"When I was a child I could speak French" (Ability)

"I would (used to) study all day long" (Volition)

Positive Negative

I must study these verbs I must not repeat the same mistake

I have to study these verbs I do not have to repeat the exercise

I need to study these verbs I need not repeat the exercise

I should study these verbs I should not repeat the exercise

Subjective Objective

I must study these verbs I have to study these verbs

I need not repeat the exercise I do not have (need) to repeat the exercise

I cannot smoke here I am not allowed to smoke here

What is the difference between "Can I ask you a question?" and "May I ask you a question?"

The two modal verbs express a different level of formality, politeness and level of perceived difficulty. The perception of difficulty is exploited in order to

achieve something by putting psychological pressure on the other person to say yes by modifying the word. Can is the more straight forward situation. May

perceives the question more difficult. So it is about whether I will ask the question anyways or not.

Modal Verbs Pagina 1

Can

martedì 7 novembre 2017 08.00

1. Indicator of possibility: it means that it is possible only in a certain situation

"Interactive presentation tools can be used with students’ mobile devices to foster discussions based on students’ interactive written responses to

presentations." -> ‘can’ describes one of the possible functions of the presentation tools described in the text.

"You can only return non-faulty goods for an exchange or refund if the retailer has a returns policy. " -> ‘can’ is used to describe the cases in which the

customer has the possibility to return non-faulty goods.

2. Reference to the future

"[…] In the meantime, as described below, we are working with selected suppliers to ensure they provide 3TG sourcing information until the contracts can be

amended." -> ‘can’ implies an underlaying sense of promise for the future contracts – the company takes responsibility for future sourcing information while

the option of a new contract is not available.

"It is our vision to be innovators, leaders and contributors to an inclusive society and a healthy environment so that Starbucks and everyone we touch can

endure and thrive." -> ‘can’ implies both ‘to have the possibility’ and a reference to the future.

3. "Power" or "obligation": it means to grant permission to do something

"[…] Contracts with our suppliers are frequently in force for three to five years or more and we cannot unilaterally impose new contract terms and flow-down

requirements." -> ‘cannot’ implies an obligation towards the system of international regulation about the suppliers’ engagement.

"Kickstarter will not cover every possible future contingency, or claim rights and powers just because it can or because doing so is industry standard." ->‘can’

is used as a synonym of ‘having the power to’.

Modal Verbs Pagina 2

Could

martedì 7 novembre 2017 08.00

1. Expression of a certain level of probability of a future occurrence, but in presentational

websites, situations when companies are trying to present themselves positively it is not used.

"Do not stop using Xanax suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Ask

your doctor how to safely stop using this medicine."

"Do not use Xanax if you are pregnant. This medicine can cause birth defects. Your baby could

also become dependent on the drug."

2. Expression of inability. In these example, it refers to something what was not possible in the

past.

"This error might mean that your PC couldn't connect to the Windows Update servers. The

error could also mean there isn't enough free space in the System Reserved partition."

3. In a (type 2) conditional sentence, "could" is used in the main clause, instead of «would» to

express the degree of permission and certainty of the predicted result. There is a similarity of

the nature of the verb, so could is an easier way to construct a conditional sentence.

"And if that were what we wanted to do as a country, we could do it now. Europe wouldn’t

stop us." Modal Verbs Pagina 3

May

martedì 7 novembre 2017 08.00

1. Referring to the future. In this case, the meaning of may it's really close to the meaning of can:

the difference lies in the level of probability, because may reduces the probability of the

occurrence to happen.

"Entrants may submit one design into each of the following categories: (i) the Adult Fiction

Cover Award; (ii) the Adult Non-Fiction Cover Award; (iii) the Children’s Cover Award. You may

not submit more than one design for each category."

"Despite our best efforts, there is always the possibility that factors beyond our control may

impact on the end result of our objects. The combination of automated and handmade

manufacturing may therefore result in small flaws and differences typical to handmade

production. Changes in technology or the evolution of chemical components in the pulp can

affect our paper collections even from one lot to another."

"Any dispute or claim relating in any way to your use of any Amazon Service, or to any

products or services sold or distributed by Amazon or through Amazon.com will be resolved by

binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that you may assert claims in small claims

court if your claims qualify."

"At our discretion, a refund may be issued without requiring a return."

"A factory receiving a “developmental” rating may still produce our products, but will be

audited again every six months and must show continuous improvement in health, safety, and

labor issues."

2. Possibility: it is possible to do something because a permission is given.

"Due to subsequent changes involving product batches, production and supply factors, it may

be necessary for Huawei to make changes and adjustments to text and images so that they

match the performance, specifications, indexes, and components of the actual product. "

"Fees for Selling on Amazon and optional services may apply."

"Content Providers may remove apps from the Smart TV platform or stop supporting them at

any time. When new Samsung Smart TV products are launched, there may be a delay before

the apps become available on those products. "

"If you do have to buy a machine with Windows bundled, carefully read the software license

that comes with Windows; you may be able to reject the license and obtain a rebate from

your vendor."

"You may exercise your rights towards the holder requiring updating, integration and deletion

of data concerning him."

"In addition, if you acquire non-public information about another company (...) you may not

disclose that information to anyone else or buy or sell that other company's stock or other

securities until such information is publicly disclosed. "

3. Generic possibility

"You may require specific (on-site) technology support e.g. to get to the root cause of tough

quality problem." Modal Verbs Pagina 4

quality problem."

"Service levels and response times for HP Care Packs may vary depending on your geographic

location. Service starts on date of hardware purchase. Restrictions and limitations apply."

"HP services are governed by the applicable HP terms and conditions of service provided or

indicated to Customer at the time of purchase. Customer may have additional statutory rights

according to applicable local laws, and such rights are not in any way affected by the HP terms

and conditions of service or the HP Limited Warranty provided with your HP Product."

"We would like to tell you about the offers, ideas, products and services of the Sainsbury's

Group from time to time that we think you might be interested in. Where you have consented

to us doing so, we may do this through the post, by email, text message, online, using social

media, push notifications via apps, or by any other electronic means."

"Before providing personal information to you or another person on your behalf, we may ask

for proof of identity and sufficient information about your interactions with us that we can

locate your personal information."

"You can deactivate the cookie function by changing the settings of the browser that you are

using. However, please be aware that if you deactivate cookies, some services on the Nikon

Website may no longer be available."

Modal Verbs Pagina 5

Might

martedì 7 novembre 2017 09.00

Might can have a sense of permission, but the two most common meanings for this modal verb are

the following:

1. Simple conditional, which expresses a possibility (but with a lower probability than

can/may/will).

"We might ask for your consent to use your data to send you marketing communications".

"[…] and make it easy and effortless to recycle any garment that might no longer be wanted".

2. Reference to the future

"You agree not to take any action that might compromise the security of the Site" (in this

particular example the two functions come together).

Might and could are not so common in business English because of the low level of probability.

Modal Verbs Pagina 6