Modals – Concept and Its Uses
Modal verbs
A modal verb is a special kind of helping verb. A modal verb helps the main verb to express the mood of the subject, and at the same, it can indicate likelihood, ability, permission, possibility, or willingness.
| Modal | Uses | Possibility | Permission | Request | Impossibility | Ability | Suggestion |
| Can | Examples | They can do it. | Can I bring it here? | Can you help me? | We can’t fix it. | ||
| Could | Examples | I think we could have. | Could I borrow yours? | Could you say it? | We couldn’t fix it. | He could work for us. | |
| May | Examples | I may finish…. | May I have another…. | ||||
| Might | Examples | They might be eating. | Might I ask your name? | Might I borrow your bag? | You might want to suggest that to the committee. | ||
| Shall | Examples | Shall I continue or not? | Shall I help you? | Shall we say…. | |||
| Should | Examples | Fees should decrease. | Should I do that or not? | He should be able to do…. | You should call. |
Modals express ideas such as possibility, permission, ability…
They are:
- CAN
- COULD
- WILL
- WOULD
- SHALL
- SHOULD
- MAY
- MIGHT
- OUGHT TO
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