The modal verb MAY

The modal verb may has two forms:

may for the present tense, might for the past tense. All the missing forms are supplied by “to be allowed to”, “to be permitted to”. The form may can be used with reference to the future: It may rain tomorrow.

The form might is used in two ways: a) as the form of the past tense (mainly in indirect speech): He said I might smoke there; b) as the form of subjunctive mood in the present-time contexts as a mild or more polite way of may: Might I come and see you? He might have fallen ill if he hadn’t taken the pills.

Might is rarely used as a past tense of the Indicative mood. It is usually the form of the Subjunctive mood. To indicate the past-time reference (Indicative mood) the synonymous expressions to be allowed, to be permitted to are used.

The modal verb may has the following meanings:

1. Supposition, uncertainty (возможно,вероятно).

He may be busy now getting ready for his trip.

The form might implies greater uncertainty: He might be at home now.

In this meaning may occurs in affirmative and negative sentences: He may not know about it. She may not be waiting for you now.

May in this meaning is combined with any form of the infinitive: simple, perfect, continuous, perfect, perfect - continuous: It’s too late to phone him now. He may be sleeping. I never see him about now. He might have fallen ill. Let’s hurry. He may have been waiting for us an hour.

With the verbs that do not admit of the continuous form the indefinite infinitive, common aspect is used with reference to the present: He may be ill now. They might not know about it.

2. Possibility of performing an action because nothing hinders (possibility due to circumstances).

You may order a taxi by phone. You may see him every morning walking his dog.

Here either a definite or an indefinite article may be used.

May in this meaning occurs only in affirmative sentences and is followed by the simple (non-perfect) infinitive. The form might is used only in indirect speech in accordance with the rules of the sequence of tenses: He said we might order a taxi by telephone.

3. permission

May in this meaning is found in affirmative and interrogative sentences expressing a request. In negative sentences it denotes prohibition: You may smoke in here. May I come in? May I speak to you? You may not smoke in this room.

In this meaning may is combined only with the simple infinitive.

Might is also found to express a more polite request: Might I join you?

4. disapproval, reproach (упрек,неодобрение)

Here we find only the form might followed by a perfect or a non-perfect infinitive: You might have given me a lift.

5. may, might is used in the following set phrases:

a) May as well (might as well/might just as well) + infinitive is a very mild way of expressing intention. It is used to suggest or recommend an action: I may as well take the child along with me. – Я, пожалуй, возьму ребенка с собой.

You might just as well not go there.- C таким успехом ты мог не ходить туда.

b) It might have been worse – могло бы быть и хуже.

c) He might have been a…

He might have been taken for a ….

Roy Wilson, a new doctor, was twenty-eight large, heavy, nature and blond hair. He might have been a Scandinavian sailor.

d) If I may say so – если можно так сказать (выразиться)

If I may so, I think you have treated him badly.

6. May might occur in object clauses after expressions of fear, and in adverbial clauses of purpose and concession:

I fear he may fall ill. However cold it might be, we’ll go skating. I opened the window so that it may not be stuffy in the room.

The modal verb must

The modal verb must has only one form – must - with reference to the present or future. In combination with the perfect infinitive it refers to the past. In indirect speech the rules of sequence of tenses are not observed, must remains unchanged in all meanings. Must has no form of Subjunctive mood, the mood auxiliary verbs should and ought to replace it in the subjunctive mood. Must has the following meanings:

1. Obligation, duty, necessity (from the speaker’s point of view).

In this meaning must is found in affirmative and interrogative sentences and is followed only by the simple infinitive: You mustn’t talk to your daughter about her future. Must he do it himself?

1. Prohibition, command

This meaning is expressed in negative sentences and must is followed by the simple infinitive:

He must not leave his room for a while. You mustn’t play with matches.May I smoke here? – no, you mustn’t

……………………- no, you can’t

……………………- no, you don’t

…………………….- no, you needn’t.

You mustn’t walk on the grass.

2. Supposition strong probability (bordering on assurance)

In Russian this meaning is rendered by the modal words “должно быть”

In this meaning must is used only in affirmative sentences and is followed by any form of the infinitive depending on the time reference: He must be ill, he looks pale. The book is not on the shell. She must be reading it. He must have told his mother about it, because when we came she already knew everything.

In negative sentences the words evidently and probably are used: Evidently she didn’t know my address.

In this meaning must is not used with reference to the future. In this case we find modal words probably, evidently, likely: She will probably come tomorrow. He will evidently know all about ill. She is likely to come in two days

3. Sometimes must expresses something that cannot be avoided, something that is inevitable: All experience show that men must die.

Must is used in the following set phrases:

a) must needs expressing obligation: He must needs go there. Он непременно должен пойти туда.

b) I must be going = I must be off – it’s time for me to go (мне пора уходить)

c) I must tell you that……. I must say… The meaning of obligations is weakened.

d) You must come and see me some time. You must come and dine with us. You must come and stay with us for the weekend.

This is a common way of expressing invitation.

The meaning of obligation is also weakened here.

To have to

To have to as a modal verb is not a defective verb and can have all the tense-aspect forms as well as the verbals: He is an invalid and has to have a nurse. She knew what she had to do. I shall have to reconsider my position. Having to work alone, he wanted all his time for his research.

In interrogative and negative forms of the modal verb to have to are built by means of the auxiliary verb do: Why do I have to do everything alone? Did he have to tell them about it? You don’t have to explain anything.

The verb to have to has the following meanings:

1. obligation, necessity imposed by circumstances. In the negative form – absence of necessity.

It is rendered in Russian as приходится, вынужден … In this meaning to have to is found in all kinds of sentences –affirmative, interrogative, negative, and is combined only with the simple infinitive: He had to explain everything.Did he have to do it?He did not have to tell me that he already knew.- нет необходимости

2. prohibition.

He mustn’t go there -

In spoken English the same meaning of obligation and necessity is expressed by have got to.

Like the verb to have to, it is found in all kinds of sentences and is combined only with the simple infinitive: Has he got to go right now? He hasn’t got to go just yet.

This combination may also be found in the Past tense, though it is not very common: He had got to sell his car.

The set phrasewith have to is “had better”: A few drops began to fall. We had better take shelter. They had better not play cards when the guest might come in at any moment.

to be to

To be to as a modal verb is used in the Present and Past tenses. It has the following meanings:

1. a previously arranged plan or obligation resulting from this arrangement.

We are to discuss it next time. Is he to arrive tomorrow? Who was to speak at the meeting?

This meaning of to be to is found in affirmative and interrogative sentences in the Present and Past tenses. To be to is followed only by the simple infinitive.

The past tense of the verb to be in combination with the perfect infinitive denotes an unfulfilled plan:

I promised to go to a club with her last Tuesday and I already forgot about it. We were to have played a duet together.

2. order or instruction, often official (frequently in reported speech): The woman says I am to leave you alone. All officers are to report to the colonel at once.

In this meaning to be to is found in affirmative and negative sentences and is followed by the simple infinitive.

3. Something that is destined to happen: He has to be my teacher and friend for many years to come. He did not know that he was never to see his native place again. “I am never again to sing” – said the actress.

This meaning occurs in affirmative and negative sentences and to be to is followed by the simple infinitive.

4. Possibility.

In this meaning to be to is equivalent to can or may. It is used in all kinds of sentences in the Present and Past tenses and is followed by the passive infinitive: Her father was often to be seen in the pub. Where is he to be found? There is nothing to be seen. Nothing was to be done under the circumstances.

Set phrases: What am I to do? – что мне делать? как мне быть? What is to become of me? – что мо иной будет? Where am I to go?-куда мне деваться?

To be to as the form of the Subjunctive mood (were to for all persons) is found in conditional clauses of complex sentences: If he were to come again, I should not receive him.

The modal verb ought to

This modal verb has only one form which is used with reference to the present or future. In indirect speech it remains unchanged.

Ought to has the following meanings:

1. Obligation implying advisability and desirability.

She ought to warm him. He oughtn’t to mention it to anybody.

In this meaning ought to is used in all kinds of sentences and is followed by the simple infinitive.

With reference to the present ought to is used with the continuous infinitive: At your age you ought to be earning your living.

If the verb does not admit of the continuous form the simple infinitive is used: You ought to feel some respect for your elders. In combination with the perfect infinitive ought in the affirmative form shows that a desirable action was not fulfilled: You ought to have chosen a more suitable time for telling him the news. In the negative form ought to in combination with the perfect infinitive shows that an undesirable action was fulfilled: I’m sorry, I ought not to have said it. You oughtn’t to have married her. It was a great mistake.

2. Supposition implying strong probability:

The new sanatorium ought to be very comfortable.

The use of ought to in this meaning is not very common. This meaning is usually replaced by must.

The set phrase:

You ought to know it – means you are supposed to know it.

Shall / should

Historically shall and should were two forms of the same verb: shall was the Present tense Indicative mood, should was the form of the Subjunctive mood. But later they came to express different meanings, and in present-day English they are treated as two different verbs.

Shall

In modern English the modal meaning of obligation is always combined in shall with the function of an auxiliary verb of the future tense.

Shall is still used to express obligation with the second and third persons, but at present it is not common in this meaning, it is used in formal, archaic style and is mainly found in subordinate clauses

It was decided that the proposal shall not be opposed.

At present the modal verb shall is found with the second and third persons in sentences expressing promise, threat or warning. It is used in affricative and negative sentences and is combined with the simple infinitive:

You shall have my answer tomorrow (promise)

He shall not come off with a whole skin this time.(threat)

‘You shall stay just where you are!’ his mother cried angrily.

With the first person shall is used in interrogative sentences asking for instructions: Shall I get you some fresh coffee. Who shall answer the telephone? Shall I answer in English? Shall I open the window?

Should

In modern English the modal verb should is used with reference to the present or future, and it remains unchanged in indirect speech. Should has the following meanings:

1. Obligation combined with advisability:

It’s late. You should go to bed.

You shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

In combination with the perfect infinitive should in the affirmative form shows that a desirable action was not fulfilled: He looks very ill. He should have stayed at home. You should have told me about it yourself.

In the negative form should in combination with the perfect infinitive shows that an undesirable action was fulfilled: You shouldn’t have done as you did.

Should occurs in object clauses and in adverbial clauses of condition, purpose and concession: I suggest that you should stay here. It is important that people should know about it. If he should drop in, give him my message.

The use of the so-called “emotional should” is found in the following cases: Why should I do it? Why shouldn’t you invite him?

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16