Topic: Meanings of Modal Verbs
Day 2: Ability, Possibility,
Permission
You
should have learnt the meaning of each modal verb before. In the coming days, we
are going to talk about the different modal verbs
with similar meaning. Let’s master the usage of modal verbs!
Ability: Can and Could
Could is the past tense form of can. One
of the meanings of could is to talk about ability in
the past. For example,
Samuel: ‘Wow, you can run fast, Grandpa.’
Grandpa: ‘Haha, I could run a lot faster when I was young.’
à Grandpa has the ability to run fast now, but he had the ability to run
faster when he was young.
Possibility: Can, Could, May, Might, Will
and Would
We
use can, could,
may, might,
will or would
to talk about the likelihood of something happening (事件發生的可能性).
However, each of them expresses a different
degree of likelihood of something happening.
Will and can
talk about events that have a very high possibility of
happening. May talks about
those that have an equal
possibility of happening or not happening.
Could talks about those that are less likely to happen. And might
and could talk about those that have almost zero possibility of
happening.
Degree
of likelihood:
Will
> Can > May >
Could > Might
> Would
Look at
the graph for more details of the degree of likelihood.
Graph 1: Modal
verbs - Degree of likelihood
100 %
Likelihood
0%
Likelihood 100 %
Likelihood
Ø
Will
and Can are used to talk about events that have are most likely to happen.
Example:
If you put the
coat on, you will be warmer.
à We are almost sure that putting
on a coat can keep a person warmer.
Don’t worry, I am
sure the problems can be solved.
à The speaker has great confidence that the problems can be solved.
Ø
May
is used to show that there is an equal possibility for an event to occur or
not.
50% chance à
may occur
50% chance à
may not occur
There is a traffic jam. He may be late.
à Although there is traffic jam,
we are not sure whether he will be late. But there is an
equal possibility for him to be late or not to be late.
Ø
Could is used to talk about an event
that is less likely to happen.
The
test is so difficult and I could hardly pass
it.
The test is very difficult. à It is
not easy, so I am less likely to pass the test.
Ø
Might and would are used to talk about
something that has little likelihood of
happening.
The exam is very
difficult, but he might pass it.
à It is not very possible for him to pass the exam.
If I had one
million dollars, I would quit that job.
à The
possibility that the speaker has one million dollars and quits the job is almost zero.
The
degree of likelihood of ‘would’ is less
than that of ‘might’. So, there
is frequent use of would in conditional
sentences about hypothetical situations.
I would
go to join the World Cup Football events in Germany, but I have no money.
The
speaker has almost zero possibility of taking part in the World Cup events, unless he or she is lucky enough to win the Mark Six, so that he or she can fly to
Germany!
Exercise
Permission: Can, Could and May
We use can, could and may to talk
about permission in different situations.
Ø
Compared
to can, could
is used to ask for permission to do something in a more polite manner.
Ann: Can I borrow your pen?
Joy: Sure, you can take it.
à Ann and Joy are good friends.
In such casual situation, Ann does not need to worry about politeness. So, she
just uses can to ask for permissions to
borrow Joy’s pen.
Rida: Could I borrow your book, Prof. Jones?
Prof. Jones (May):
Yes, of course.
à Prof. Jones is Rida’s teacher.
Rida would like to be polite to Prof. Jones. So, she used a more
polite way to ask for permission to borrow the book.
Ø
Both
may and can are used to ask for permission, but they
are used in different situations.
In formal situations, we use May:
In the classroom
Jones: Mrs.
Pers, I have finished all the exercises you gave me. May
I leave the room now?
In casual situations, we use Can:
In the corridor
Jones: Elle, I
will skip the afternoon lesson. Can you take notes for me?Exercise