The forms and functions of modal verbs

 

 

 

     1.2.2. The modal verb must

      The modal verb must has only one form for the present tense. It may also be used in reported speech, after the verb in the Past tense in the principal clause [4, 120]:    

e.g. I knew I must go there too [9, p. 134].

According to I.P.Krylova, must is used in present-time contexts with reference to the present or future and in combination with the Perfect Infinitive it refers to the past. In past-time contexts this form is used only in reported speech, so the rules of the sequence of tenses are not observed with must [1, p. 66].

I. Must followed by the non-perfect common infinitive may express:

1. Immediate obligation or necessity, or an obligation referring to the future. This meaning occurs in positive statements and questions.

e.g. We must begin before five, or we shan’t finish in time for our supper.

      He must move the furniture himself. I can’t help him.

Must you really go so soon? [4, p.120]

Must expresses obligation or compulsion from the speaker’s viewpoint (unlike ‘have to’, which involves some other authority than the speaker, such as official regulations, etc.).

e.g. You must be back at 2 o’clock. I want you to do some cooking.

       You must call me Sir (I like it that way) [1, p.74].

Obligations expressed by must refer to the present or future, in reported speech they may refer to the past.

e.g. James said we must invite the Stewarts to dinner [9, p.47].

Future obligations can be made more precise with the future indefinite of the verb have to.

e.g. I’ll have to read it again.

       We shall have to give you a new copy of the book [4, p.121].

Since the negative form of must denotes a negative obligation or sometimes prohibition, it cannot express absence of necessity which is expressed by needn’t.

e.g. - Must I go? - No, you needn’t, if you don’t want to [4, p.121].

Must is used interchangeably with to be to for instructions, notices, or orders.

e.g. Passangers must cross the lines by the footbridge (the railway company instructs them to).

        Guests must be out of the building by midnight [1, p.74].

With a 2nd person subject must expresses an obligation which has the same effect as a command.

e.g. You must do as you are told.

   You must be careful.

       You must go now. I want to go to bed [5, p.120].

2. Prohibition.

Such sentences are sometimes negative commands.

 e.g. The girl mustn’t go home alone.  It’s very late.

        You mustn’t do that![4, p.121]

3. Command, an urgent request.

e.g. You must leave the room at once [2, p.143].

4. Invitations.

e.g. You must come and have dinner with us.

 You  must come and see our picture gallery.

This use of must renders emphasis to the sentence [4, p.121].

5. Emphatic advice.

e.g. You must take more exercise. Join a squash club [13, p.139].

II. When combined with any form of the Infinitive must expresses probability, near certainty. It has the same meaning as the modal words probably, evidently. In this sense must occurs only in positive statements [4, p.121].

e.g. He must be mad (it seems certain that he is mad).

      He must be lonely (probably he is lonely) [6, p.77].

With verbs which admit of the continuous aspect, the Continuous Infinitive should be used for reference to the present [4, p.121].

e.g. John isn’t here. He must be working in the garden.

 Jane is busy. She must be packing for the trip [5, p.65].

The Perfect Infinitive indicates a past action.

e.g. Did you always live with your father? You must have led quite a busy social life (evidently you led...).

The Perfect Continuous infinitive indicates the duration of the past action, a process in the past.

e.g. It must have been raining when you left (evidently it was raining when you left) [4,121].    

In summary, the modal verb must has only one form. It is used in 
present-time contexts with reference to the present or future and 
in combination with the Perfect infinitive it refers to the past. It expresses immediate obligation or necessity, prohibition, command, an urgent request, invitations, emphatic advice, probability, near certainty.

 

   1.2.3. The modal verbs should and ought to

V.L. Kaushanskaya says that the modal verbs should and ought are treated together here as there is hardly any differences between them. Very often they are interchangeable [3, p.125].

Historically should was the past form of shall and both the forms expressed obligation. But in present-day English they have developed different meanings and are treated as two different verbs.

Should followed by the non-perfect infinitive may be used with reference to the present and future and is not changed in reported speech [4, p.126].

e.g. You should be more careful.

      I told him he should be more careful [4, p.126].

The modal verb ought has only one form. It is not changed in reported speech.

Ought combines with the to-infinitive. When followed by the non-Perfect or Continuous Infinitive it indicates reference to the present or future. In indirect speech it may also refer the action to the past [4, p.126].

e.g. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

She told him he ought not to go away [5, p.68].

These two modal verbs express:

1. Moral obligation, moral duty, which may not be fulfilled. Should is found in this sense in all kinds of sentences. However ought to is preferable in this sense.

e.g. All students should submit their work by present date (but some of them don’t).                                 

   If you see anything strange you should call the police.

   You ought to look after your children better (you don’t always do it).

   He ought to be punished, oughtn’t he? [4, p.126].

When used in the negative form should denotes a weakened prohibition, more like negative advice [1, p.75].

e.g. He shouldn’t be so impatient [6, p.68].

When combined with the Perfect Infinitive should denotes criticism, faultfinding; the statement indicates that something desirable has not been done.

e.g. Your shoes are wet. You should have stayed at home.

  You should have put more sugar in the pie. It isn’t sweet enough [4, p.126].

A negative statement indicates that something wrong has been done.

e.g. You shouldn’t have done that. It was stupid.

       They should never have married. They are so unhappy [1, p.75].

When used with the Perfect Infinitive ought means that something right has not been done, a desirable action has not been carried out, and it, therefore, implies reproach.

e.g. You ought to have helped him (but you didn’t).

       Не ought to have been more careful (he was not careful enough) [4, p.126].

Ought not + Perfect Infinitive means that something wrong has been done and it is now too late to change it. It may also be viewed as a reproach [4, p.126].

e.g. She told him he ought not to have done it (but he had done it).

       You oughtn’t to have laughed at his mistakes [11, p.233].

The opposite to ought to is needn’t used to mean that the action is unnecessary.

e.g. We ought to wash the dishes, but we needn’t dry them, because they will dry themselves [11, p.233].

2. Advice, desirability. This meaning is more common with ought to than with should.

e.g. I think you should read this book.

You ought to see a doctor [4, p.127].

3. Probability, something naturally expected.

e.g. The effect of the tax should be felt in high prices (will probably be felt).

        Apples ought to grow well here [4, p.127].

Ought to + infinitive is used when describing something exciting, funny or beautiful in the meaning of I wish you could [1, p.77].

e.g. You ought to hear the way he plays the piano! [2, p.98]

To sum up, we can investigate that the modal verbs should and ought to are very much alike in meaning and are often interchangeable. In using ought to, however, we lay more stress on the meaning of moral obligation, whereas should is common in instructions and corrections.

 

1.2.4. The modal verbs shall and will

In present-day English shall is not a purely modal verb. It always combines its modal meaning of obligation with the function of an auxiliary verb in the future tense.

Usually the meaning of modal verb shall is rendered by emphatic intonation.

Shall combined with only a non-Perfect Infinitive expresses:

1. Promise, oath, or strong intention. In this meaning shall is used with the 2nd or 3rd person with a weak stress [4, p.128].

e.g. It shall be done as you wish.

       He shall get his money [5, p.66].

In the 1st person shall in this sense acquires a strong stress.

e.g. I want that prize and I ‘shall win it [4, p.128].

2. Threat or warning (shall is used in this meaning in the 2nd and 3rd person).

 e.g. That day shall come.

    The child shall be punished for it. I won’t allow it [4, p.128].

In the first two senses shall is used in affirmative and negative sentences.

3. A suggestion or offer

It is used in questions (and offers) in the 1st person singular and plural. Such sentences are translated into Ukrainian by the infinitive [1, p.81].

e.g. Shall we begin? - Yes, let’s.

        Shall I read? - Please, do [8, p.89].

Like shall, will is not a purely modal verb. It almost always combines its modal meaning with its functioning as an auxiliary verb expressing futurity. Will has two forms: will for the present tense and would for the past tense. Thus will and would are looked upon as forms of the same verb, although in a few cases their meanings differ.

I. Will combined with the non-perfect infinitive expresses:

1. Willingness, intention, determination.

Would in this meaning shows reference to the past. [4, p.128].

e.g. I will write as soon as I can.

 When he was young, he was so poor that he would do anything to earn    some money [5, p.70].

This meaning is often found in conditional sentences.

e.g. If you will help me we can finish by six.

  If you will wait for me I’ll be very grateful. [4, p.128].

2. A polite request or an offer. This meaning occurs only in questions [4, p.128].

e.g. Will you pass the salt, please?

     Will you haw some tea? [12, p.231].

3. A command (in military contexts it is a strict command).

e.g. Officers will report for duty at 06.00.

       You will do exactly as I say.

An impatient command can begin with will you.

e.g. Will you be quiet! ? [4, p.128]

Will you in the tag after a negative command can tone down the command (and is pronounced with the falling tone) [4, p.128].

e.g. Don’t be late, will you? [6, p.77].

But after a positive command will you has a rising intonation and expresses impatience [4, p.128].

e.g. Sit down, will you?

       Shut the door, will you? [6, p.77]

4. Insistence, resistence. Will and would are stressed when used in this sense.

e.g. He will try to mend it himself (he insists on mending it himself).

With reference to inanimate objects will and would show that a thing fails to perform its function. It occurs in negative statements [1, p.82].

e.g. The door will not open.

       The engine wouldn’t start [14, p.37].

5. Inevitability, characteristic behaviour, quality, or something naturally expected [4, p.128].

 e.g. What will be will be.

       Accidents will happen [6, p.77].

6. Disapproval of something expected. In this meaning only would is used. It is found mainly in responses.

e.g.  “Hе refused to interfere.” - “He would”

  You would be late!

  You would forget [4, p.129].

II. Will/would combined with different forms of the infinitive can express prediction, a certainty about the present or the future [4, p.129].

e.g. That will be my wife.

       This will be our train [1, p.84].

In conclusion, the modal verbs shall and will express promise, oath, or strong intention, threat or warning, suggestion or offer, willingness, intention, determination, a polite request or an offer, a command, insistence, resistence, inevitability, characteristic behaviour, quality, or something naturally expected and prediction.

   1.2.5. The modal verbs need and dare

The modal verb need may be either a defective or a regular verb. As a defective verb need has only one form and combines with a bare infinitive. In reported speech it remains unchanged. As a regular verb it has the past indefinite form needed and regular negative and interrogative forms.

There is a slight difference in the usage of regular and irregular forms. The regular form is used mainly when the following Infinitive denotes habitual action. The defective form is more common when one particular occasion is referred to:

e.g. Need I do it?

       You needn’t do it just now.

      Do I need to show my pass every time?

     You don’t need to say it every time you see him [4, p.125].

The defective form is mainly restricted to negative and interrogative sentences, whereas the regular verb can be used in all types of sentences and is therefore more common [1, p.88].

Need expresses necessity. It is mainly used in questions and negative statements, where it is a replacement for must or for have (got) to.

e.g. Do you need to work so hard (Do you have to work so hard? Have you got to...).                                                    

The negation is not always combined with the verb, but may be expressed by other parts of the sentence.

e.g. I don't think we need mention him at all.

     I need hardly say that you are to blame [4, p.125].

In questions need is used when there is a strong element of negation or doubt or when the speaker expects a negative answer.

e.g. Need she go there? (hoping for a negative answer)

      I wonder if I need go there (statement of doubt) [1, p.88].

     In negative statements need followed by a Perfect Infinitive indicates that the action expressed by the infinitive was performed but was not necessary. It implies a waste of time or effort.

e.g. You needn’t have spent all the money. Now we've got nothing left.

      We needn’t have waited for her because she never came at all [4, p.125].

The difference between the two forms of need in negative sentences is as follows: the regular verb indicates that the action was not done because it was unnecessary, whereas the defective verb shows that the action, although unnecessary, was carried out.

 Didn’t need to do smth = It wasn’t necessary, so probably not done.

e.g. We didn’t need to say anything at all, which was a great comfort [1, p.89].

 Needn’t have done smth = It was not necessary, but done nonetheless.

e.g. You needn’t have said anything. Then he would never have known   about it [1, p.89].

The modal verb dare may be defective or regular.

As a defective verb dare has two forms: dare for the Present tense and dared for the Past tense. It is used chiefly in interrogative and negative sentences. It has the meaning - to have the courage or independence to do something, to venture.

e.g. How dare he speak to you like that? (I wonder at such impudence.)

       Dare you ask him? (Are you brave enough to ask him?) [4, p.131]

As a regular verb dare has a limited paradigm of finite forms and no verbals. It may have two meanings:

1. To venture, to have the courage or impudence (like the defective dare). In this sense it is used mainly in negative statements [4, p.131].

e.g. He didn’t dare to stop me (he didn’t have the courage).

      Don’t you dare to touch me [5, p.87].

2. To challenge, to defy [4, p.131].

e.g. I dared him to jump (I challenged him to do it).

       I dare you to say this straight to her face [6, p.70].

To sum up, the modal verbs need and dare may be used either as a defective or as a regular verb. But, in general need expresses necessity and dare expresses courage or independence to do something.

 

    1.2.6. The modal verbs to have to, to have got to, to be to

As a modal verb to have to differs from the others in that it is not defective. It can have the category of person and number and all tense-aspect forms, as well as verbals. It is followed by a to-infinitive and combines only with the non-perfect form of it [4, p.122].

e.g. We had to look all over town before we found what we wanted.

      She won’t have to walk the whole way, will she?

      Having to go so soon we were afraid of missing the man  [8, p.111].

Have to builds up its interrogative and negative forms with the help of the auxiliary verb to do.

e.g. Do you have to work so hard?

       You don’t have to do what your sister tells you [4, p.122].

The modal verb to have to expresses:

I. Obligation or necessity arising out of circumstances. It is similar in its meaning to must .

e.g. She is usually short of time so she has to go by air [1, p.90].

In the past tense have to indicates a fulfilled obligation.

e.g. We had to do a lot of things during the week we stayed in the country (were obliged and did it) [1, p.90].

Have to replaces must where must cannot be used:

1. to express past necessity or obligation

e.g. We had to do it again.

      They had to do what they were told.

     b) to express absence of necessity (in the sense of needn’t), since must not means prohibition

e.g. You don’t have to make another copy of the document, Miss Black; this copy will be quite satisfactory.

  c) to express a future obligation, since the future tense of the verb have to makes the obligation more precise                                       

e.g. You’ll have to take a taxi if you mean to catch the train.

Have to as a modal verb can be used together with the modal verb may:

e.g. We may have to wait long here [4, p.123].

Have got to has the same basic meaning as have to. The difference lies in that have to usually denotes a habitual action and have got to denotes a particular action.

e.g. Do you have to get up early every morning?

      Have you got to get up early tomorrow morning? [4, p.123]

To be to as a modal verb is used in the present and past indefinite tenses.

To be to expresses:

1. An obligation arising out of an arrangement or plan. It is found in statements and questions.

e.g. We are to complete this work by tomorrow. (Somebody expects it.)

      When is the wedding to be? [1, p.86]

2. A strict order or an instruction given either by the speaker or (more usually) by some official authority.

e.g. You are to stay here until I return (I tell you to ...).

       You are to do it exactly the way you are told [4, p.123].

3. Strict prohibition (only in the negative form).

e.g. You are not to do that.