Grammar: Modal Verbs

Would you like to learn how to use modal verbs? Maybe we should learn about them, but could we learn about them? We may learn about modals, but then again, we may not. We might be able to learn about them here. In fact, we could learn about modals right now! Yes, we will learn about modals! Let’s learn how to use modal verbs!

Modal verbs function in English as auxiliary verbs; they indicate the likelihood, ability, obligation, or permission of the main verb.  Modal verbs are different than most verbs in English in three ways:

• They never take an “s” at the end in the present third person singular. For example, “could” stays “could” whether I could, you could, or she could.This is different than most verbs, for instnace, “to walk,” which changes: I walk, she walks, you walk.
• They make questions by inversion, like the word “do.” For example, the statement “She would like potatoes.” becomes the question “Would she like potatoes?” when “she” and “would” switch places.
• They are immediately followed by another verb in the infinitive tense, but without “to.” For example “I can swim a mile,” and “We might go bowling,” are correct, but not “I can to swim a mile,” and “We might to go bowling“. This is unlike other helping verbs, which keep the “to” in front of the infinitive. For instance: “I want to swim a mile” is correct.

The main modal verbs in American English are can, could, may, might, must, should, will and would. “Shall” is more often used in British English, and “ought to” and “had better” usually work exactly like modals and are often included among modal lists. Modals can be overwhelming; there are a LOT of them, and their differences and meanings are often subtle. There will be more in-depth posts about modals soon. In the meantime, here’s a chart to get you started.