Modal verbs and their equivalents

Grammar Content

1. MODAL VERBS and their EQUIVALENTS------------------------------------------------1

CAN

ТО BE ABLE TO

MAY

ТО BE ALLOWED TO

MUST

ТО HAVE TO

TO HAVE TO — ТО BE TO

NEED

MUST — MAY — MIGHT — CAN'T

SHOULD

2. INDIRECT (Reported) SPEECH (Непряма мова)-----------------------------------------9

Indirect orders and requests

Indirect statements

Indirect questions

3. MOOD (Способи дієслова) --------------------------------------------------------------------16

4. THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD------------------------------------------------------------------16

5. CONDITIONAL SENTENSES (умовні речення)-----------------------------------------18

MODAL VERBS and their EQUIVALENTS

Modal verbs are used to show the speaker's attitude to the action or state indicated by the infinitive. They show that the action is considered as possible, impossible, probable, improbable, obligatory, necessary, advisable, doubtful or uncertain, etc.

Special properties:

ü They are used in the Present Indefinite and 2 of them “can” and “may” – in the past Indefinite Active Voice.

ü They do not take endings or suffixes.

ü They don’t have particle “to” in their infinitive form

ü All of them (except ought and sometimes dare and need) are followed by the infinitive without the particle to.

ü All of them (except dare and need) form the negative and the interrogative form without the auxiliary does.

Can expresses ability or capability, possibility.

The verb can has two forms: can for the Present Tense and could for the Past Indefinite Tense; the expression to be able which has the same meaning can be used to supply the missing forms of the verb can.

May expresses permission, uncertainty, possibility,

The verb may has two forms: may for the Present Tense and might for the Past Tense. The expressions to be allowed and to be permitted, which have the same meaning, can be used to supply the missing forms of the verb may.

Must expresses obligation, necessity, an urgent command or pro hibitio n.

The verb must has only one form. The expressions to have to and to be obliged to, which have the same meaning, can be used to supply the missing tense forms of the verb must.