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Inchoateknowledge Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
modals in moderation
1. May I smoke in here?
answers:
a. No, you may not smoke here.
b. No, you mayn't smoke here
c. No, you can not smoke here.
d. No, you might not smoke here.
e. No, you must not.
f. Just you dare.
2. Must I stop smoking?
answers:
a. No, you need not.
b. No, you do not need to.
c. No, you do not have to.
d. Yes, you have to.
e. No, you must not. (you have to go on smoking)
3.Ought I to be more polite with him?
answer:
a. No, you oghtn't to be polite.
b. No, you should not be polite.
c. You had better not.
d. No, you need not be polite.
e. No, you do not need to be polite.
4. Must I be polite with him?
5. Should I be polite with him.?
6. I must go and visit him, must I not?
7. I may smoke in here, may I not?
8. I may smoke in here, can I not?
9. I ought to have set off earlier, ought I not?
10. I ought to have set off earlier, ought I not to?
Why 'may not' or 'mayn't' sounds odd to me still I cannot give a good reason to prove it is unacceptable?
Which of the above sentences are false grammatically?
answers:
a. No, you may not smoke here.
b. No, you mayn't smoke here
c. No, you can not smoke here.
d. No, you might not smoke here.
e. No, you must not.
f. Just you dare.
2. Must I stop smoking?
answers:
a. No, you need not.
b. No, you do not need to.
c. No, you do not have to.
d. Yes, you have to.
e. No, you must not. (you have to go on smoking)
3.Ought I to be more polite with him?
answer:
a. No, you oghtn't to be polite.
b. No, you should not be polite.
c. You had better not.
d. No, you need not be polite.
e. No, you do not need to be polite.
4. Must I be polite with him?
5. Should I be polite with him.?
6. I must go and visit him, must I not?
7. I may smoke in here, may I not?
8. I may smoke in here, can I not?
9. I ought to have set off earlier, ought I not?
10. I ought to have set off earlier, ought I not to?
Why 'may not' or 'mayn't' sounds odd to me still I cannot give a good reason to prove it is unacceptable?
Which of the above sentences are false grammatically?
Top answer
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10 Answers
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1. May I smoke in here?
answers:
a. No, you may not smoke here. OK.
b. No, you mayn't smoke here Questionable. mayn't is theoretically possible I suppose, but nobody says it.
c. No, you can not smoke here. OK. cannot is one word.
d. No, you might not smoke here. No.
e. No, you must not. OK. (Unnecessarily
answers:
a. No, you may not smoke here. OK.
b. No, you mayn't smoke here Questionable. mayn't is theoretically possible I suppose, but nobody says it.
c. No, you can not smoke here. OK. cannot is one word.
d. No, you might not smoke here. No.
e. No, you must not. OK. (Unnecessarily
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Since you're studying modals, you might be interested in the last post in this thread: .
CJ
CJ
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Everything has fallen into its place in my head.
Thank you, Jim.
Thank you, Jim.
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While CJ already gave you a clear breakdown of each sentence or question, I want to add to my last post to you questions for which to a certain degree I had misunderstood.
When we use modal words like: might/ may/ should ought / could/ can and so on, in our mind we already have a predetermined notion of the statement we are about to make. E.g. If I said, “I will attend your wedd
When we use modal words like: might/ may/ should ought / could/ can and so on, in our mind we already have a predetermined notion of the statement we are about to make. E.g. If I said, “I will attend your wedd
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Hi CJ
"cannot is one word"
It usually is, and I am not in the least trying to dissuade you from using it, but the fact is that especially in AmE can not also occurs as this quote from Webster's testifies:
"—Usage. CANNOT is sometimes also spelled CAN NOT. The one-word spelling is by far the more common: Interest rates simply cannot continue at their present leve
"cannot is one word"
It usually is, and I am not in the least trying to dissuade you from using it, but the fact is that especially in AmE can not also occurs as this quote from Webster's testifies:
"—Usage. CANNOT is sometimes also spelled CAN NOT. The one-word spelling is by far the more common: Interest rates simply cannot continue at their present leve
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I prefer to use can not (two words) when the negation applies to the proposition following the modal, cannot (one word) when the negation applies to the modal itself.
-- What should I do to show them I no longer want to participate in their organization?
-- You can not go to their meetings anymore.
Often always intervenes:
-- You c
-- What should I do to show them I no longer want to participate in their organization?
-- You can not go to their meetings anymore.
Often always intervenes:
-- You c
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"I prefer to use can not (two words) when the negation applies to the proposition following the modal, cannot (one word) when the negation applies to the modal itself."
Hello Jim,
It is not clear to me.
Would you elaborate further, please?
Hello Jim,
It is not clear to me.
Would you elaborate further, please?
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CalifJimI prefer to use can not (two words) when the negation applies to the proposition following the modal, cannot (one word) when the negation applies to the modal itself.
-- What should I do to show them I no longer want to participate in their organization?
-- You can not go to their meetings anymore.
Often always
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Would you elaborate further, please?
I cannot go to the meeting. = I do not have the ability to go to the meeting. (The modality of ability / possibility is negated here. I don't have this possibility open to me. The proposition about going to the meeting is not negated.)
I can not go to the meeting. = I have the ability / possibility
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