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Module 5: Simple Sentences |
5.2 Modal Verbs
Day
1
Overview
Modal verbs are sometimes called ‘modal auxiliaries’. They belong to one category of auxiliary verbs. They are used with another (main) verb to express the manner.
情態動詞有時候會被稱為情態助動詞。它們同屬於助動詞。它們與主動詞
連用來表達語氣的狀態。
Modal verbs can be used to express 情態助動詞可用來表示 possibility (可能性), permission (許可), suggestion (建議), request (請求), prohibition (禁止), obligation (義務), necessity (需要性), ability (能力), etc
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Usage |
Modal verbs |
Example |
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Ability |
Can Could |
Kitty can speak English, Spanish and French. I could ride a bicycle when I was young. |
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Possibility |
Can Could May Might
Will Would |
Examinations can be difficult. The test is so difficult and I could not possibly pass it. The train may be delayed. He might have left, but I just saw him in the banquet room. If you put on the coat, you will be warmer If I were you, I would go to the party. |
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Permission |
Can
Could
May |
Ann: Sorry, can I borrow your pen? Joy: Sure, you can take it. Rida: Could I borrow your pen, Mrs Jones? Mrs Jones: Yes, of course. May I watch TV, mother? Yes, you may if you have finished all your homework. |
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Planning |
Will Would Shall |
I will make dinner tonight. He said he would arrive before eleven o’clock. We shall arrive at eleven o’clock. |
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Request and Willingness |
Will
Would
Shall |
Kenny: Will you marry me? Julia: Of course I will marry you! The girl hoped her mother would buy the doll if she asked for it. Would you help me to give this to Ken? Max: Shall we dance? Carol: Yes, of course, we shall. |
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Suggestion |
Could
May
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If the situation does not improve, you could try to complain to the Customer Service Department. If the programme cannot proceed, you may press the F2 button or you may call our hotline. |
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Obligation |
Must
Should
Shall |
You must study hard for your examination. You must not look at the screen too closely or you’ll ruin your eyes. You should take a shower every day. He’s the top student in the class, so he should get a high mark in the test. The employee shall complete any tasks assigned by the Senior Manager. |
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Prediction |
Must
Will Would Shall |
It’s a long flight; you must be tired after such a long journey. If you forget to turn off the oven, the cake will be burnt. They wondered what would happen to them. I shall have finished the homework before dinner. |
Modal verbs:
can, could, shall, should, may, might, will, would, must, (have to)
Not all grammar books agree about whether “have to” is in the list of modal verbs or not. It is usually used to express obligation.
不是所有文法書都同意 “have to” 是助動詞之一。它一般用來表是義務。
Special grammatical features of Modal Verbs
助動詞在文法上的一些特性
Have you made the following mistakes before? 你有否曾經犯過以下的錯呢?
I don’t can finish the homework.
You must to go to school.
He could swim when he was young.
You may to leave the office earlier .
Don’t worry about the mistakes. The following notes about grammatical features of modal verbs can help you!
不同擔心這些錯處。下面的筆記會告訴你助動詞在文法上的一些特性，這可以幫助你懂得如何正確使用它們!
Structures of modals verbs 助動詞的結構
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Category |
Modal verb and structure |
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Present |
She may dream about you. Modal verb + bare infinitive |
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They may dream about you. Modal verb + bare infinitive |
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Past |
She might dream about you. Modal verb (past tense) + bare infinitive |
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Prefect |
They may have dreamt about you before. Modal verb + have + past participle |
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Progressive |
She may be dreaming about you. Modal verb + be + present participle |
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To-infinitive |
- - |
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Gerund |
- - |
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Auxiliary do |
- - |
Differences between modals and main verbs助動詞和主動詞的分別
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Category |
Error |
Correction |
Main verb pattern |
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Present |
She mays dream about you.
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She may dream about you. |
She learns German. |
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They learn German. |
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Past |
She may dreamt about you. She mayed dream about you. |
She might dream about you. |
She learnt German in the university. |
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Prefect |
She has mayed dreamt about you before. |
She may have dreamt about you. |
She has learnt German since last summer. |
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Progressive |
She is maying dream about you. |
She may be dreaming about you. |
She is learning German now. |
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To-infinitive |
She may to dream about you. |
- - |
She wants to learn read German. |
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Gerund |
She may dreaming about you. |
- - |
She enjoyed learning German. |
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Auxiliary do |
She does may think about you. She doesn’t may think about you. |
- - |
She does learn German. She doesn’t learn German. |
Some modal verbs can be used as the past of the other modal verbs
一些可以作為其他助動詞的過去式的助動詞
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Present |
Past |
|
can |
Could |
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shal |
Should |
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may |
Might |
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will |
Would |
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must |
There is no past tense form of must. ‘Have to’ is used to express obligation in the past: ‘had to’. |
More about modal verbs: Ellipsis省略部分
Sometimes, words are missed out if the words are already specified in the previous clause. In the example given below, ‘speak English’ is missed in the second clause because it is specified in the first clause.
有時候，如果字詞在早前的子句中提到，那它們便可以被省略。在以下的例子中， ‘speak English’ 被省略了是因為它已在第一句出現。
1. I can speak English, and Peter can speak English too. (original)
à I can speak English, and so can Peter. (ellipsis)
The ‘leaving out’ of words does not affect the meaning. This type of ‘shortened’ sentence is called ellipsis. We use
ellipsis to avoid repeating information that is already clear.
省略了的部份不會影響到句子的意思。這一類縮短了的句子就叫作ellipsis。我們用ellipsis來避免重複已很清楚
的資訊。
In the next example, the subject ‘Peter’ and the modal verb ‘cannot’ swap places with each other. Such inversion, which
is similar to the use of main verbs, often happens in ellipsis.
在以下的另一個例子中，主語 ‘Peter’ 和助動詞 ‘cannot’ 互換了住置。這個轉換，和主動詞的用途相近,常常發
生在ellipsis 中。
2. I cannot speak German, and Peter cannot speak German either. (original)
à I cannot speak German, and neither can Peter. (ellipsis)