What is a modal verb with example?

What is a modal verb with example?

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Table of Content

• What is a modal verb with Example?
• What do we means by Modalities?
• What are the uses of Modals?
• What are the rules of modal?

What is a modal verb with example?

What is a modal verb with example:- Modals are an individual sort of verb, but they may not carry out an action.
Speakers use modals to express modalities and moods.

They provide more details about the purpose of the main verb that follows.
The main verb and modal verb together express the tense’s mood.

“People use modal verbs with the main verbs of sentences.”

What do we mean by modalities?

Modality refers to a person’s style of behavior, such as their attitude or how they are feeling at a certain moment.

By using modal verbs , a speaker or writer can convey certainty, possibility, will, ability, etc.

What are the uses of Modals?

Modals	Meaning
Ability	Ability
Permission	Allowing someone to do a particular thing
Advice	Guidance
Obligation	A duty
Necessity	Something necessary
Possibility	Something that is possible
Suggestion	An idea put forward
Strong Belief	Unshakable belief in something, faith in something
Offer	something to be accepted or rejected.
Request	An act of politely asking something
Order	Give an instruction to do something.

What are the rules of modal?

Rules of modal verb in English grammar

In sentences, people never use modals on their own. They always combine them with the main verb.

For example:

Incorrect: You should name your notebook.
Correct: You should write your name on your notebook.
Incorrect: I may today go to her home.
Correct: I may go today to her home.

Modals are always followed by the infinitive, or the base form of the verb, without the first form, which is use.

For example

Incorrect: He can learnt a book.
Correct: He can learn a book.
Incorrect: He should played
Correct: He should play.

A modal is not followed by another modal.

For example

Incorrect: He may should go to market
Correct: He should go to the market.
Correct: He may go to the market.
Incorrect: he can, could dance
Correct: He can dance.
Correct: He could dance.

The modal verb is not changed into the present, past, or future tenses using the es, s, or ing tense.

For example

Incorrectly:- he mights come to class.
Correct: He might come to class.
Incorrect: He can’t sings the song.
Correct: He can sing the song.

You must add “not” after the modal verb to use it in a negative form.
We don’t follow modal verbs with terms like don’t, isn’t, aren’t, wasn’t, or don’t.

For example:-

He doesn’t can swim.
He can not swim.
Correct: He cannot swim.
They didn’t should take a break
They don’t should not take a break.
correct: He should not take a break.

Exception to making negative modal verbs
One exception to the rule of making negative statements is ‘have to’.
We did not before have to make negative

For example

Incorrect:– I have to drink water.
Correct:- I do not have to drink water.
Incorrect:-Children have to wear a uniform.
Correct:- Children do not have to wear a uniform.

Uses of Can

Sentences Structure

Rules of Positive/Affirnative:- Subject+ can+ Verb

Rules of  Negative Sentences:- Subject+ can+ not+ verb

Rules of Interrogative:- Can+ Subject +verb+ ?

Can

One of the most popular modal verbs is “can.”

Can be used to convey:

• Capacity or lack of it
• Impossibility or Possibility
• To give or request informal permission
• Informal Requesting
• Informal Offer
• Suggestion
• Capacity or lack of it

Can is a word that expresses when a person is able to perform something or not.

For eg:-

• Reeta can sing
• Reeta cannot sing
• Can reeta sing?
• I can dance
• I cannot dance
• Can I dance?

Possibility

Can is used in sentences that express that something is possible.

For eg:- You can score good marks in Maths

I can come to your house tomorrow

It can come guest.

Informal Permission

Can is a word that expresses giving or receiving permission.

For eg:-

• Can I sit here?
• he can come with us.
• You can go home now.

Informal Request

Can is used in the sentences in which someone is requesting for something.

For eg:-

• Can you make me a coffee?
• Can you teach me how to dance?
• Can I help you with your bags?

Suggestion

Can is used in sentences that express a suggestion to someone or somebody.

For eg:-

• You can buy this house.
• She can call a taxi
• You can take this medicine.

Possibility

  Can is used in sentences that express that something is possible.

For eg:- You can score good marks in Maths

I can come to your house tomorrow

It can come guest.

Informal Permission

Can is a word that expresses giving or receiving permission.

For eg:- Can I sit here?

he can come with us.

You can go home now.

Informal Request

Can is used in the sentences in which someone is requesting for something.

For eg:-

Can you make me a coffee?

Can you teach me how to dance?

Can I help you with your bags?

Suggestion

Can is used in sentences that express a suggestion to someone.

For eg:- You can buy this house.

She can call a taxi

You can take this medicine.

Uses of Could

Sentences Structure
Rules of Positive/Affirmative: Sub + could +verb
Rules for Negative Sentences: Sub could not be V1.
Rules of Interrogative: Could sub+ V1+? 

For example:-

• Radha could sing a song.
• Radha could not sing a song.
• Radha couldn’t sing a song.
• Could Radha sing a song?

Could

Could is the past tense of the word can and a modal verb.
Could show the possible expression:-
Capacity or inability in the past
Asking permission with respect
Suggestion
Possibility
Conditional situation

Capacity/Inability: – It is used to express previous abilities or capacities that a person may have had.
For example:-

• Radha could dance when she was younger.
• Radha could speak the Tami language when she lived in Tamil Nadu.
• He could not do it because He lived in Canada.
• Sham could ride a bike when he was in school.
• Radha could not sleep last week properly due to a headache.
• Neeta could not speak English when she was in school.

Asking for permission respect:-

It is a polite way to ask for permission. 

For example:-

• Can I borrow your pencils?
• Could I sit on the chair?
• Could I use your pen?
• Could you bring me some rice?
• Could I please have your notebook? 

Politely request:- Could is a polite way of asking something.
For example:-

• Could you please hand me the notebook?
• Can you drop me off at school?
• Could you teach me how to dance?
• Could you please offer me a drink of water?
• Could you join me for my birthday celebration? 

Suggestion

Could is a verb that makes suggestions.
For example:-

• I could help with your English assignment.
• If you wish, I can go to the park.
• For any assistance, you could contact him.
• You could move to Shimla to pursue your career. 

Possibility

This could suggest a possible result.
For example:-

• He could be one who stole memories
• He could have called the polite.
• He could come and become a doctor.
• He could have broken her leg.
• Many crimes could have been avoided.

Conditional

Could be used as an example of a condition-based issue.
For example:-

• He could visit London if He had enough money.
• If He had some apples, He could make apple juice.
• He could have filled out the form if He knew the language.

Uses of May

Sentences of the Structure
Rules of Subject Sentences: Sub+may+verb1
Rules of a positive sentence: Sub+ may+ not+ verb1
Rules of Interrogative: Subject + Verb +Verb1
For e.g.:-

• I may go home.
• I may not go to your home.
• May I go home?

May

May is employed in formal contexts.
May is a word that conveys

• Possibility
• Formal situation
• Polite situation
• a desire or wish for someone

Possibility: May is a phrasal verb that expresses the potential for something to happen or occur in the near future, particularly when that potential is in doubt.
For e.g.:-

• He may go out later.
• She may miss her train.
• Soon it may begin to rain.
• She may not come to visit you in your winter vocation.

Formal permission: To grant or request permission to do something, use the verb may.
A formal model verb is may.
For e.g.:-

• May you leave now to go home?
• Hello, sir. May I come?
• May I please have a seat at the table?
• May I begin with the presentation, madam?

Polite Situation:- A polite offer is a polite and formal way to give something to someone else.

For e.g.:-

• May I help you, sir?
• May I get you a glass of water, ma’am?
• May we possibly be of any help?

A desire or wish for someone:– Expressing good wishes for the future:
May is used to give blessings to anyone.
For e.g.:-

• May you live a long and healthy life.
• May God bless you for making your life so beautiful.
• May you get everything in life that you wish for.

Uses of Might

Structure
Positive Sentence: Subject + Might + V1
Negative Sentence:- Subject+ might+ not +v1
Interrogative sentences: Might+ subject+ v1+?
For example:-

• Radha might go to Delhi with her friend for a meeting.
• Might I go to Delhi with her friend for a meeting?

Might: –Might is used in the past of may in the modal verbs. 

Might is a word that conveys expression.

• Past in May,
• Possibility
• Suggestion.
• Request
• Conditional sentences 

In the Past of May
Might is used in the past of sentences.
For example

• he informed her of his potential lateness.
• She might get late for the birthday party. 

Possibility: Might is a form of possibility; however, it has a lesser likelihood than may.
For example:

• It might rain today.
• We might go to lunch today in honour of her birthday.
• They might attend the lesson and come to school.
• The kitchen might contain your phone. 

Suggestion: Might is a word that suggests something.
For example

• He might catch a taxi.
• He might go to the mall.
• You might buy a new bike.

Request:-Might is used to politely request Compared to May, Might is far more courteous.
For example:-

• Might I have drunk one glass of water?
• Might I join the company?
• Might I borrow your pen? 

Conditional sentences: – Might is a word that indicates a condition-based situation.
For example:-

• If He participated, He might win in this completion.
• If He gates late, He might not get the entry.
• If He wins the lottery, He might buy a boat.
• If I leave now, I might catch the train.

Uses of Shall

Structure

1. Positive sentence: subject +shall +VI

2. Negative sentence: subject +shall +not +vi

3. Interrogative sentence: Shall +Subject +vi+?

For e.g.:-

• I will respect my parents.
• I will not respect my parents.
• Shall I respect my parents?

Shall is used in models.

Shall is used to indicate future action and as a model verb.

The short form of shall s’ll .

Shall adds an additional degree of politeness or formality to the sentence.

Shall is used with I and we, but this changes in certain conditions.

Shall is used with

I and We	Future ActionTaking SuggestionOffersPromise
He, She, it, they	CommandThreatFormal Obligation

Uses of Shall

Shall is used to express: Future action: Taking suggestions Offers

. Promise : Command. Threat . Formal obligations

1. Future Action:-

. Shall is used with I and we to indicate the action that will take place in the future.

For example:-.

I will go to the market.

We will be shifting to a new city next year.

We will sing tomorrow.

He will go to college.

She will study tomorrow.

I will call from the airport.

2. Taking suggestion:

Shall is used with I and we to take suggestion.

For example:-.

• Shall we dance?
• Shall I stay or leave?
• What shall we do this Sunday?
• Shall I send you the book?
• Shall we begin the lunch?

3 Offers:

Shall is used with I and We to offer something politely, e.g., Shall I get you some thin to eat?

• Shall I help you?
• Shall I wash the clothes?
• Shall we get the groceries for you?

4. Promise:

Shall is used with I and We to promise something.

For example:-

• We shall pay the fine.
• I will never forget where I came from.
• I will get your money back soon.
• I will make the travel arrangements for the trip.
• We shall never forget you.

5. Command:

Shall is used with the second and third person to give orders.

For example:

• You shall clean your room in five minutes.
• She shall obey my orders.
• You will score well in the exams.
• They will Score good marks in the exam.
• They shall not come to my house.
• You shall not get in.
• He will be there at 5.

6. Threat :

• Shall is used to give a threat to someone.
• Foe e.g.;-. She will pay for this.
• They will be punished for this.
• He will be arrested soon.

7. Formal obligations:

shall is used to indicate obligation in a formal situation.

For example:

• You shall obey these rules. Family members shall maintain silence in the hospital.
• Visitors shall not enter here.
• They shall not click photographs here.
• You shall abide my low.

Uses of Will

Will use a Modal verb

Syntax
Positive sentence: Subject + Will + V1+ Object
Negative sentences:- Subject+ will+ not+ v1+ object
Interrogative sentences: Will subject+ v1+?

For example:-
He will score good marks in the exam.
He will not score good marks in the exam.
She won’t score well in the exam.
Will He score good marks in the exam?

Will

• Will is used in future actions and as a  modal verb.
• Will is used to interact:
• Voluntary actions
• Future projection
• Promised Deals
• Informal request
• The threat
• Strong determination
• Commands

Voluntary Action/Decisions

Will is using this to indicate instant action or decisions.
For example:-

• I will do it at home.
• She will cook the dinner tonight.
• He will clean the whole home.
• He will stand at the railway station.
• She will talk about English questions.
• They will go to the party.

Future projection

Will is using this to indicate future projection.
For example:-

• It will rain tomorrow.
• They will charge the boss next month.
• They will not allow her to attend the party
• They will get angry after hearing this.
• She will fail the exam.

Promise (Informal)

 Will is using this to make a promise.
For eg:-

• He will call him daily.
• She will cook the food.
• He will never lie to us.
• I will go for dinner tonight.
• Tomorrow, I’ll drive a car.

Offer (informal)

 Will is using this to offer something informally.
For example:-

• Will you have a cup of coffee?
• Will you give me one glass of water?
• Will you join us to visit the car?
• Will you play the song again?

Informal Request:

Will is using this to request something informally.
For example:-

• Will you avoid the situation?
• Will she stop talking trash?
• Will he talk politely to her?
• Will you fetch me some painkillers for my headaches?

Threat:

Will is using I and we to threaten someone.
For example:-

• You will definitely go to Shimla.
• I will say, mom, that you are lying.
• I will tell the teacher that you are cheating.
• You will be home with me.

Commands

Will is using forcefulness to give orders.
For example:-

• We won’t attend a party. 
• You’ll now maintain silence.
• Your room will not be used for parties.
• Your friends will not come to the House.

Uses of Would

Would used in Modal

Positive sentences:- Subject+ Modal+ verb+ object.

Negative:- Subject+ Modal+ not+ verb+ object

Interrogative:- Would+ subject+ v1+ ?

For Example:-

• I would prefer tea over coffee.
• I wouldn’t prefer tea over coffee.
• Would I prefer tea over coffee.

Would:- Would is used as past of will and as a modal verb.

Would is used to express:-

• Past of will
• Habitual past behavior:- Would is used to indicate the action that happened regularly
• In the past.

For example:-

• I would go to temple daily when I was in Delhi
• My mother would drop every morning when I was in the school.
• Every summer we would visit my grandmother in Mumbai.

Imaginary situations:-Would is using to express the imaginary situation of a person

For example:–

• I would not like the movie.
• I would do not it myself but I am busy.
• The party would bore her.
• I would not like him.

Preference:- Would is using to express the situation to indicate the preference

For example:-

• I would go to the cinema today.
• I would like to have tea not coffee.
• She would go for the black color of carpet rather blue.
• She would like to talk over phone rather on chat.

Polite request:- Would is used to request politely(formal).

For example:-

• Would you mind sharing the book?
• Would you like if I join you all
• Would you like some chocaltes
• Would you answer the call please.

Uses of Ought to

It is used in the modal verb.
Ought to: An ought modal verb is an expectation of the rule of modal verbs.
It uses “to” after it.
So ought is written as ought to.

Structure
Positive sentence: Subject” + Ought to” + V1.
Negative sentence:- Subject+ Ought+ not+ to+V1.
Interrogative sentences: Ought subject+ to V1+?
For example:

• She ought to obey her elders.
• She ought not to obey her elders.
• Should she obey her elders?

Ought to:- It is used to express:

• Moral Obligation
• Desire for something to happen
• Advice

More Obligation: Ought is used to express moral duty or responsibility.
For e.g.:-

• We ought to respect our parents.
• Every citizen ought to follow the rules.
• You might not smoke in school.
• We ought not to waste food.

Desire or something to happen: ought to is used to indicate what is desired from someone.
For e.g.:-

• They ought to have more parking space in society.
• We ought to eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day.
• She ought to have studied science.
• He ought to have exercised daily.

Advice: Ought to is used to give advice.
For e.g.:-

• You ought to exercise daily.
• He ought not to remember the concept; it’s better to understand it.
• She ought to book the tickets in advance.
• You ought to drive fast with me.

Is the use of Should can be used at the place of ought to?

• Ought to and should have similar meanings
• You can use ‘should’ in place of ‘ought to.
• Should is more commonly used than ought to.
• Let’s see more examples.
• She should not obey her elders.
• She should not obey her elders.

Uses of Must

Positive sentences: Subject + Must + V1
Negative sentences:-Subject+ must+not+v1
Interrogative sentences: Must +subject + V1

For e.g.:-

• She must follow traffic rules.
• She must not follow traffic rules.
• Must she follow traffic rules?

Must (important) is used to express

• Strong obligation
• Prohibition
• Deduction
• Recommendation

Strong obligation: Must is used to express strong obligation.
For example:-

• Passengers must switch off their phones on the aeroplane.
• Everyone must maintain silence in the library.
• We must start the interviews.
• They must call us today to discuss the project.

Prohibitions: Must is used to indicate something that is not allowed.
For e.g.:-

• Everyone must not break traffic rules.
• Teachers must not smoke on school premises.
• You must not disobey your parents.

Prohibitions: Must is used to indicate something that is not allowed.
For e.g.:-

• Everyone must not break traffic rules.
• Teachers must not smoke on school premises.
• You must not disobey your parents.

Deductions: Must is used to make deductions or conclusions.
For example:-

• He must not be more than 3 years old.
• He owns a bungalow; he must be shy.
• He comes home late at night; he must be assigned night duty.

Recommendation: Must is used to make a strong recommendation.
For e.g.:-

• You must watch this movie.
• She must read this book; it’s very interesting.
• We must plan for a get-together.
• You must try the South Indian dishes at these restaurants.

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