Modal Verbs in English

How are modal verbs used

Modal verbs are used as auxiliary or helping verbs to add meaning to the main verbs in a sentence. Consider these sentences: 1. Mary speaks French. 2. Mary can speak French. Sentence 1 contains only the main verb 'speak’ and it expresses only Mary’s act of speaking the language. Sentence 2 contains the modal verb 'can' together with the main verb 'speak' (can speak). Consequently, Sentence 2 communicates the additional idea of 'ability', so that we're not only talking about her act of speaking the language but also her ability to do so.

From the above examples, we can see that modal verbs perform different communicative functions in English speech and writing. They are used to express ideas such as possibility, probability, certainlty, willingness, prediction, ability, permission, necessity, obligation, and so forth. The following are a few examples of how modal verbs are used:

WILL: 1. I will visit Grandma this weekend (intention). 2. Will you marry me? (willingness). 3. I'll buy you a new phone (promise). 4. I will be more careful in future (determination).

SHOULD: 1. Children should obey their parents (moral obligation). 2. Jack should stop smoking (advice or recommendation). 3. I should like to have a cup of coffee (polite request).

For a more detailed audio-visual explanation of modal verbs and how they are used in English, watch the following video lecture: