Write an essay on model auxiliaries
Answers
Answer:
A modal verb is a verb which is used with another verb to express such ideas as possibility, ability, and necessity, e.g. computers can perform a wide range of tasks. Modal verbs in English can present some difficulties for learners. They occur quite frequently in the academic context and the range and variety of their use can make understanding and using them correctly quite a challenge.
The nine main modal verbs express a range of meanings, which may differ very subtly.
Modal verbs are used to indicate the writer’s or speaker’s attitude to what he or she is writing or saying. There are three main categories of meaning.
possibility/ability/permission
obligation/necessity
intention/prediction
Expressing possibility, ability and permission
The most common meaning for modal verbs in the category of possibility, ability and permission is logical possibility: indicating what is or is not possible from what we know about a situation. All four modals in this category (can, could, may, might) are used in this way.
Can is frequently used to indicate ability.
The use of can and may to ask or give someone permission is common in speech but rare in formal writing, because it involves personal interaction.
Expressing obligation and necessity, intention and prediction
In the category of modal verbs expressing obligation and necessity there are two main meanings found in formal writing. The first meaning is that of personal obligation; the writer states what he/she and perhaps the reader is obliged to do/believe etc. using a modal verb such as must or should.
The second meaning is that of logical necessity; the writer states what he/she wants the reader to conclude from the information presented using a modal verb such as must or should.
Explanation:
The basic formula for using a modal auxiliary is:
subject + modal auxiliary + main verb
There are ten main modal auxiliaries in English: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, and ought to.
The four common types of errors when using modals include the following: using an infinitive instead of a base verb after a modal, using a gerund instead of an infinitive or a base verb after a modal, using two modals in a row, and leaving out a modal.
In the present perfect tense, when a sentence has a modal auxiliary before the verb, the helping verb is always have.
The two common errors when using modals in the present perfect tense include using had instead of have and leaving out have. hope this helps