Modal verbs

Modal verbs are divided into auxiliary and marginal. Marginal modal verbs are those that can be used as both modal and common meaning verbs (for example, NEED: I needn’t (modal) x I don’t need (meaning)). Auxiliary modal verbs do not have such a property, so they cannot stand alone as verbs of meaning (e.g. CAN: I can’t but not I don’t can). You can find out more about this distinction below in the section on marginal modal verbs.

• shall indicates:
  • forecast
    • He shall win.
      • formal, little used
  • offer
    • Shall I take you home?
  • proposal
    • Shall we ask him?
  • obligation
    • The employer shall pay the insurance for their employees.
      • in formal documents, legal terminology
  • option
    • What shall we buy?

• should indicates:
  • need
    • I should visit a doctor before it gets any worse.
  • recommendation
    • You should talk to someone, it will help you.
  • deduction
    • The shop should be somewhere around here.
• in the past tense, we only need should + have + past participle (for example: I should have sent the parcel.) We use should have when we re-evaluate some activity – how something was supposed to be in the past, but it happened differently.

However, one of the most important functions of these two modal verbs is in conditional sentences where we use them to indicate unrealistic or very unlikely situations.

• By using would in the present tense, we are more polite (for example: Will you let me in, please? X Would you let me in, please?)
• in the past tense, we use the word would with the auxiliary verb have + past participle (for example: I would have saved her.) Would have is used primarily in conditional sentences, in situations where something has happened in the past, but we can’t change it. More about the differences in usage of would and would have can be found in the chapter on conditional sentences.
• the word will shows:
  • intention
    • I will call you.
  • Forecast/prediction
    • He will lose.
  • willingness, proposal
    • • I will carry the box.
  • deduction
    • That will certainly be Peter.
  • habit
    • She will buy a bottle of champagne every weeek.
    • We can use would – it shows some past habit. = She would buy me a drink whenever we met.

2 Marginal modal verbs

Marginal modal verbs have the peculiarity of behaving as modal verbs and also as action verbs. The following list shows what this looks like:

NEED

• The chart below shows the use of need:

• the word need can have two functions:
  • action verb
    • in this case it is followed by the to-infinitive and means something necessary (for example: I need to train if I want to win.).
  • modal verb
    • modal need also expresses the necessity, but also the duty (for example: You need to pay taxes.)

DARE

• the word dare has the following features:
  • action verb
    • in such case, it is followed by the to-infinitive and it means that we dare to do something (for example: I dare to say he is a liar.).
  • modal verb
    • modal dare has the same meaning, is followed by an infinitive without to (for example: Dare he go there?), but is mostly used in negative sentences and questions, e.g.:
      • I daren’t approach him.
      • How dare you touch me?
    • Forms of all persons of dare:

USED TO

Used to expresses some past habit and at the same time an activity that we no longer perform (for example: I used to go for a run every day after school. – I don’t go now).

• We form the word used to like this:

• beware of used to in the present tense. There it is associated with the verb to be and it means that we are used to something (for example I am used to such behaviour.) In this case, it is not a modal verb.

OUGHT TO

Ought to has essentially the same meaning as the word vocabulary should, i.e. that it is a belief in how something should be. It is also used for giving advice and recommendations. Unlike should these expressions are stronger.

• Use of ought to:

• to form the past tense, we use the auxiliary verb have + past participle
  (například: I ought to have driven more carefully.).
• the word ought to means:
  • obligation
    • You ought to behave well at school.
      • Unlike should, which expresses a rather subjective opinion, ought to is more general and objective
  • recommendation
    • You ought to talk to someone. It will help you.
      • In comparison to should, ought to is more formal and used less frequently.

Normally, you will encounter marginal modal verbs with their lexical meaning rather than modal. Then their negative is formed as follows:

• need – did not/didn’t need
• dare – did not/didn’t dare
• used to – did not/didn‘t use to + did not/didn’t used to
• ought to – did not/didn’t ought to

As we have already said, you will normally encounter the lexical meaning rather than the modal with marginal modal verbs. Then the questions form is as follows:

• need – do you need to…?
• dare – do you dare to…?
• used to – did you use(d) to..?
• ought to – do you ought to..?