Learner Resource 4.1 ‒ Modal verbs

An auxiliary verb is when another verb is added to the ‘base’ verb, often to help with tense. The most common auxiliary verbs in English are be, do, and have.

But there is another type of auxiliaries that changes meaning – and these are known as modal verbs.

They reveal the degree of certainty and/or possibility about the action (the verb)

·  You can...

be curious about the words around you.

·  You should...

develop a reading habit.

·  You MUST...

read all of The OCR English Language student textbook.

Modal verb / Meaning /
would / conditional (dependent on something) /
should / advisability /
will/shall / certainty /
must / obligation /
may/might / permission/possibility /
can/cannot / possibility/ability /

Notice that the last two categories have two definitions. The same modal auxiliary verbs might have various meanings depending on the other words which surround them as well as on the contexts in which they are used.

1  ‘you may use water’ primarily signals permission – you are ALLOWED to use water

‘they may need your help’ primarily signals possibility – it might be the case that they need your help

Version 1 1 © OCR 2017

Linguistic variations of power

2  ‘I can go’ might mean:

a)  I am allowed to go (signalling that someone else has given me the permission to go – and therefore that they have more power than me)

b)  I am physically able to go (e.g. I am well enough to go)

It is also worth noting that not all modals are the same and that there are two types:

Epistemic modality – constructions that express degrees of possibility, probability or certainty, such as shall and will, e.g.:

‘defaced coupons will not be accepted’

‘the coupons shall remain the property of Tesco stores’

Deontic modality – constructions that express degrees of necessity and obligation, such as may, must, e.g.:

‘age restrictions may apply

‘coupons must be redeemed by the person to whom they were issued’

Now armed with all this knowledge you should be able to do some analysis. Look at the text below:

Reproduced with permission: Severn Trent PLC

Version 1 2 © OCR 2017

Linguistic variations of power