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МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

ВОЛГОГРАДСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ

Кафедра филологии английского языка

М.Г. Воробьева

Учебно-методическое пособие

по практической грамматике английского языка

для студентов I курса

Часть II. Modal Verbs

Волгоград 1999

Modal Verbs.

Introduction.

I. Modal verbs express the attitude to the action.

They have no

1) infinitive form

2) participle / gerund form

3) ending -s in the 3rd person singular

4) auxiliary verbs in interrogative and negative forms

5) particle to with the infinitive following the modal verbs.

II. Learn the meaning of the modal verbs can, may, must, need, dare. Study the examples. Translate the sentences.

Can

ability, capability

1. He's so tall he can touch the ceiling.

2. I can't remember where I put the bag.

3. They have everything that money can buy.

4. Can you lift that box?

5. The police're doing all they can to find the girl.

possibility due to circumstances

6. I'm sure we can settle this problem.

7. The word "bank" can have several different meanings.

8. There can be no doubt that he's guilty.

permission (= may), prohibition

9. You can't play football here.

10. "Can we go home now?" - "No, you can't".

11. You can go for a walk after the classes.

asking someone to do sth., give sth.

12. Can you help me to lift the box, please?

13. Can I have one of your cigarettes?

May

permission, asking for permission

1. "May I come in?" - "Yes, you may".

2. May I leave the bag here?

3. May I help you with the dishes?

supposition implying uncertainty

4. He may come or he may not.

5. Where is Jane? - She may be playing in the garden.

6. Why hasn't he come? - He may have missed the train.

Note 1.	Can is more common than may to express "permission". - You can go now. Can is also used to express permission for the future. - You can borrow my car tomorrow.
Note 2.	Can is used to ask questions about possibility. - Can it be true? (Неужели ...)
Note 3.	Can is used to say that sth. is impossible. - This can't be true. (Не может быть ...) - He can't be at home.
Note 4.	Can is often used with verbs of mind and senses: to believe, to feel, to hear, to see. - I'm looking at this photo. I can see my mother in it. - Can you hear what he's saying?

Must

obligation, necessity

prohibition (in negative sentences)

1. I must leave at 6 o'clock.

2. You mustn't tell anybody about this - it's a secret.

3. You mustn't feed the animals in the Zoo.

4. Must I take this medicine?

supposition implying strong probability

5. You must feel tired after your long walk.

6. $ 2000 for that old car? You must be joking.

7. There is nobody here.- They must have all gone home.

Note 5.	Must is used to make suggestions. - You must come to see us next Sunday. - You must go and see that new film - you'd really enjoy it.
Note 6.	Must is used in suppositions. - You must be the new teacher.

Need

necessity, absence of necessity (in negative sentences)

1. You needn'tarrive at the airport till 10.30.

2. Need we go soon? - No, we needn't (Yes, we must).

3. You needn't talk so loud.- I'm not deaf.

4. I need hardly tell you that we're very disappointed with your work.

5. "Was he late for classes again?" - "Need you ask!"

Note 7.	a) In questions you can say either. - Need he study? or - Does he need to study?
	b) In negative sentences you can say either. - He needn't study. or - He doesn't need to study.
	c) In statements you can say only. - He needs to study.

Dare

to be brave or rude enough

1. How dare you say I'm lying?

2. We all knew she was wrong but none of us dared (to) tell her.

3. The government would never dare (to) increase taxes before the election.

4. I didn't dare to ask him about it.

III. State the meaning of the modal verbs. Translate the sentences.

1. You can borrow my car tomorrow. 2. He may be at home now. 3. I needn't get up early at weekends. 4. I'm sure we can come to an agreement on this problem. 5. May I take these books with me? 6. Can you speak French? 7. You mustn't say such tings in front of children. 8. Does he need to study in summer. 9. There is no light in the house. Everybody must have gone away. 10. How dare you speak to me like that? 11. My little son can learn short poems by heart. 12. You may come in and wait here. 13. Must I drink this mixture? 14. Need you speak so loud? 15. If we leave earlier we can find him still at home. 16. I daren't tell him the whole truth. 17. Do you know where Ann is? - I'm not sure, she may be in the library. 18. You needn't give the answer now, take time to think it over. 19. He must feel on top of the world after he's won that huge sum of money in lottery. 20. Mum, can I go for a walk now? 21. I must finish this work today. 22. How dare you shout at me.

IV. Translate.

1. Можно здесь курить? - Нет, нельзя. 2. Должен ли я сделать домашнее задание сейчас? - Нет, необязательно. Вы можете сделать его вечером. 3. Вы должны заучивать новые слова каждый день. 4. Ты можешь взять словарь. Мне он больше не нужен. 5. Больному лучше. Вы можете навестить его завтр а. 6. Можно мне пойти гулять? - Да. 7. У вас много ошибок. Вам нужно больше уделять внимания грамматике. 8. Вы можете принять посетителей после обеда (lunch)? - Нет, я очень занят. 9. Мы должны учить детей плавать как можно раньше. 10. У детей богатое воображение. Они могут легко придумывать всякие истории. 11. Я не смею просить у него еще денег. 12. Нужно ли вам вставать в 5 часов утра? - Нет, необязательно. Я могу вставать в половине шестого.

V. Translate using

may		simple infinitive (do)
	+	continuous infinitive (be doing)
must		perfect infinitive (have done)

1. Где Анна? - Она, возможно, занимается в библиотеке. 2. Никто не отвечает на телефонный звонок. Должно быть, никого нет дома. 3. Где Петр? - Он, скорее всего, в столовой. Я видел, как он шел туда. 4. Может быть, на вас никто не обратит внимание. 5. Возможно, летом меня не будет в городе. 6. Очевидно, она сердита на вас, поэтому и не заходит. 7. Не возвращайте книгу в библиотеку. Она может вам понадобиться перед экзаменом. 8. Должно быть, она заболела. Она никогда не пропускает занятий. 9. Родители, скорее всего, уже вернулись домой. 10. Они наверняка говорят обо мне, посмотри на их лица. 11. Возможно, мой отец уже приезал. 12 Он наверняка знает как перевести это слово. Он учитель английского. 13. Они, должно быть, уже закончили работу: я слышал, как они разговаривали в коридоре. 14. Дети, возможно, спят, не шуми. 15. Я видел, как они шли в библиотеку. Они наверняка готовятся к семинару. 16. Она вернулась так поздно вчера. Она, должно быть, легла спать после полуночи. Modal Verbs in the Present Tense.

I. The equivalents of the modal verbs may, can and must in the Present Tense.

Instead of may you can use the expression to be allowed to.

To be able to is possible instead of can but can is more usual.

Must can be replaced by have to.

Such replacements are used to provide an infinitive, a present participle a present perfect, and so on, for example:

- You must be able to answer in English.

- You ought to be allowed to sit down.

- You may have to wait for a long time.

II. The modal verb must has one more equivalent besides have to, i.e. to be to.

1. Have to serves to express obligation or necessity imposed by circumstances (приходиться, вынужден). In spoken English this meaning is also expressed by have (has) got to.

- I've got to go right now.

Have you got to go right now?

I haven't got to go just yet.

The negative and interrogative forms of the modal verb to have are built up by means of the auxiliary verb to do.

- Why do I have to do everything?

You don't have to do everything.

2. Be to as a modal verb has the following meanings:

a) a previously arranged plan or obligation resulting from this arrangement;

- We are to hold a meeting next week.

- Who is to speak at the meeting?

b) orders and instructions, often official.

- After that you're to return here.

- All junior officers are to report to the colonel at once.

3. Must, to Have and to Be compared.

These modal verbs have one meaning in common, that of obligation.

In the Present tense they come very close to each other in their use though they preserve their specific shades of meaning:

a) Must indicates obligation or necessity from the speaker's point of view (obligation imposed by the speaker).

- I must write to my grandmother, it's a long time since I went to see her.

- I must do it (I want to do it).

He must do it humself (I shan't help him).

b) To have expresses obligation or necessity imposed by circumstances.

- John has prained his ankle and he has to use a walking stick to move about.

- What a pity you have to go now (It's time for you to catch your train).

c) To be expresses obligation or necessity resulting from an arrangement.

- We are to wain for them at the entrance. (We have arranged to meet here, so we must wait for them at the appointed place).

4. Compare mustn't do and don't have to do (haven't got to do).

mustn't do expresses prohibition;

don't have to do expresses absence of necessity.

		don't have to
- You		haven't got to			go there
		don't need to
		needn't
- Children		must not			play here.
		are not to
Note:	Study how the modal verbs are used in questions and answers.
							must
						Yes you	have to
Must we							've got to
Do we have to				go there?
Have we got to							don't have to
Need we						No, you	haven't got to
							don't need to
							needn't

Compare that with the following example:

		Yes, you	can
			may
Can	we go there?
May			may not
		No, you	can't
			're not to
			mustn't

In the second example may not, can't, 're not to and mustn't are arranged in increasing order of severity, mustn't being an absolute prohibition.