Targeting the Verb Phrase Handout #5 Spring 2013 Institute of English and American Studies University of Debrecen MODALITY II MAY and MIGHT 1) permission a/ giving and refusing permission c/ talking about permission b/ requests for permission d/ questions about permission FIRST PERSON a/ --- (She said I might/could borrow her car.) b/ Can/Could/May/Might I speak to you? Of course, you can/may. No, you can t/may not. c/ I could/was allowed to read what I liked when I was a child. Yesterday evening, Peter was allowed to watch TV for an hour. (*could) Did you take the dog? No, we couldn t. d/ see the examples below SECOND PERSON a/ You can/may speak to the patient now/later. The nurse said we could/might speak to the patient. You could/might speak to the patient (if you asked). You could/might have come yesterday. (=permission existed but wasn t acted on) c/ You can smoke in some cinemas, but in many theatres you can t. for past tense see above b/ --- d/ Can you/are you allowed to...? Could you/were you allowed to...? THIRD PERSON a/ c/ see the examples above Visitors may not take photos inside the building. (notice) (also: must) He may (not)/can/can t stay up late. see also the examples for SECOND PERSON b/ --- d/ Can he/is he allowed to...? Could he/was he allowed to...? 2) possibility -particular occasion ('It is possible that...') 1
He may/might/could be right. The two parties may/might/could reach agreement tomorrow. She said he might/could be wrong. (indirect speech after a past tense verb) He may/might/could have been working all day. I may/might/could have finished my work by tomorrow. (=it is possible that I will have finished work by tomorrow) The plan might/could easily have gone wrong, but in fact it was a great success. (may is incorrect) I don t think he can have forgotten. It can only be the postman. Where can she have gone? (can is grammatical in nonassertive contexts) Might/Could/Can this be true? Do you think you may go camping this summer? (*May you go camping...?) -general possibility ('it is possible (for sb) to+inf') Exceeding the stated dose may cause drowsiness. (formal, written style) The motorway can get busy. (*may, *might) He could be very pleasant when he wanted to. (*may, *might, *can) What shall we do? We can/could try asking Lucy for help. (suggestion) 3) wish, hope (only may can be used) May she rest in peace. May your dreams come true. 4) concession (may or might can be used) These pens may be cheap, but they are useless. The work may have been difficult, but at least it was interesting. You may think it s silly, but it s honestly what I did. (use may, not might, when you mention the reaction or attitude of the subject to sth you are about to say) Strange though it may seem, I've never been to Paris. Try as he might, he couldn t force the door open. (may is used for the present, might for the past after Try as + subject) 5) extremely likely/probably (may/might (very) well, could well) The profits of the company may/might/could (very) well reach $100 million this year. 6) unenthusiastic suggestion I can't repair this lamp. I may/might as well throw it away. 7) comparing two unpleasant situations, one imaginary and the other real, and saying that one is similar to the other You never listen. I may/might as well talk to a brick wall. 8) purpose clause They struggle to cure diseases so that people may live longer. (might is used for the past) 9) suggestion You might try asking your uncle for a job. (*may) 10) request If you're going to the post office, you might get some stamps. (*may) 2
11) criticism (not in the negative). She might have told me she was going to stay out all night. (*may) 12) with verbs like guess, know, suspect I might have known she d refuse. (*may) CAN and COULD 1) permission (see MAY and MIGHT) 2) possibility (see MAY and MIGHT; MUST; SHOULD; OUGHT TO; WILL and WOULD) 3) ability Some people can/are able to walk on their hands. Kevin could/was able to walk when he was only 11 months old. The injured man was able to walk to a phone box. (*could) I could understand everything she said. I could only get six eggs. One day scientists will be able to find a cure for cancer. (*can) We can go to the theatre next week, if you are free. (suggestion about future action, deciding now about the future) 4) purpose clause I took my golf clubs so that I could play at the weekend. (can is used for the present) 5) suggestion If we re short of money, I can/could sell my jewellery. Can t/couldn t you just tell him? You can/could go on the train, of course. (might can also be used, see MAY and MIGHT) You can/could always leave if you don t like it. (might is not used with always) 6) request Can you make me a copy of that? Do you think you could help me? 7) criticism (not in the negative) You could ask before you borrow my car. (*can) You could have helped me. (*can) 8) expressing strong feelings I could kill you! (*can) I was so angry I could have killed her (when he said that). (*can) 9) refusing an offer of more food/drink More cake? Oh no, I couldn't. 3
MUST, HAVE TO, NEED 1) obligation, necessity I must go on a diet. I m getting overweight. (the speaker decides it is necessary) I have (got) to go on a diet. The doctor has told me to. (outside circumstances or someone else makes something necessary) Ann has got to have at least eight hours sleep at night. (necessity that is characteristic of sb: we prefer have (got) to) I often have to work at the weekend to get everything done. (repeated events, *have often got to) Candidates must attempt all the questions. (public notices, written instructions: must or should) Must I write these letters? (Do you insist?) Do I have to write these letters? (Is it necessary?) We had to keep still for about four minutes. (past of must/have (got) to) When did you have to give the books back? (past of must/have (got) to) To get there on time, I must/have (got) to/will have to leave home by 8.30. (future of must) I ve been having to work at night for the past two months. Need I fill in a form? I need hardly say how sorry I am. (= I m very sorry) This is the only form you need fill in. (need as auxiliary only in questions and negative sentences) Need you have told him about my plans? Yes, I had to./no I needn t have. You don t need to/needn t cut the grass, I ll do it later. (giving permission not to do sth) You don t need to be over 18 to get into a disco. (general necessity, *needn t) 2) deduction, logical conclusion (see also CAN and COULD ) Mary must have a problem she keeps crying. There has to be/has got to be a mistake. This glass is cracked. Someone must have dropped it. (have (got) to cannot be used as an equivalent except in a past context: The fingerprints were the husband s, so he had to be the murderer.) It can t/couldn t be true. (negative of must/have (got) to) You can t/couldn t have seen Bob this morning. He s in Uganda. (negative of must have + past participle) Who can it be? (usual question form of must) Where can she have gone?(usual question form of must have + past participle) It must be nice to be a cat, mustn t it? (in question tags you cannot use can t) Freedom need not mean independence. (sth is not necessarily true) 3) advice, recommendation, invitation You must come to dinner with us. OUGHT TO 1) obligation, duty, sth morally right/wrong She ought to look after her children better. You oughtn t to park here. (should is possible, but ought to suggests external law or regulation; ought to is not possible on printed instructions: This jacket should be dry-cleaned.) 2) advice, recommendation (should can replace ought to) You ought to be more careful. Oughtn t we to phone the police? 4
3) expectation, probability (should can replace ought to) He ought to be out of gaol by now. DARE 1) as auxiliary (only in negative sentences and questions) -negative: No, I daren t tell her. But they dared not complain openly. (past form is rare) -questions (mostly in fixed phrases): How dare you speak to me like that? There was something, dare I say it, a little unusual about him. 2) as lexical verb I didn t dare to mention Hella. Do you dare to say what you re thinking? I dare you to jump off that wall. (= I challenge you) 3) mixed constructions (dare as lexical verb + bare infinitive) Don t you dare throw it away. They don t dare do a thing. USED TO Did your children use to sleep well when they were babies? (usual question form) I never used to say that. (common negative form) There didn t use to be so much crime. (less common negative form) We would/used to lend him money when he was unemployed. The factory used to be in the city centre. (past state, *would) We visited Switzerland four times during the 1970s. (when we say exactly how many times: *would) I lived in Chester for three years. (when we say how long: *used to, *would) She went on holiday to the Bahamas last week. (when we say what happened at a particular time: *used to, *would) WILL and WOULD 1) promise, threat You ll suffer for this! I promise I won t smoke again. 2) command You will do as you are told - don t argue. 3) purpose clause Leave early so that you won t miss the bus. She burned the letters so that her husband would never read them. 4) habit, characteristic behaviour, natural tendency 5
She ll sit talking to herself for hours. He would spend hours on the telephone. Warm air will rise. Note: Boys will be boys. 5) insistence; criticism of typical behaviour She will leave all the lights on in the house when she goes out. (habitual behaviour-present) He was a nice boy, but he would talk about himself all the time. (habitual behaviour-past) You would tell Mary about the party - I didn t want to invite her. (criticism of behaviour on a single occasion) 6) willingness, intention, refusal I ll wait for you. They said they would give the police their full cooperation. (would only in indirect speech) The top won t come off. The car wouldn t start this morning. 7) inherent capacity/quality of things This jar will hold a kilo. 8) offer, request, invitation Will you have some tea? If you will just fill in this form Would you pass me the sugar? 9) future prediction We will have another opportunity soon. He will have finished the whole job by this evening. There was a chance that my letter would arrive in time. 10) assumption, prediction about present/past You will know that John and Sheila are engaged. Don t telephone yet - they won t have finished dinner. They wouldn t have missed the plane, surely? Grandpa looks upset. He will have been arguing about politics at the club. 11) tentative opinion (with verbs like say, think, imagine etc.) I wouldn t agree with you. I would have thought his chief asset was his enthusiasm. 12) preference: would rather/sooner, would prefer Would you rather stay here or go home? I d rather not take any risks. I d rather you went home now. I d rather you had told me about it. Note: in 1-2 will (do) is used, but would (do) sometimes occurs in indirect speech when the introductory verb is in the past; in 3-7 will (do) is used for the present/future, would (do) for the past; in 8 either will or would can be used, would is less certain, more tentative; in 9 will (do/have done) is used for the future, would (do/have done) for future in the past; in 10 will/would (do) is used for the present, will/would (have done) for the past; in 11-12 only would can be used! SHALL and SHOULD 1) intention, future prediction We shall be campaigning for the survival of local government in Cleveland. 2) obligation, prohibition (esp in written rules, laws, agreements) 6
All payments shall be made by the end of the month. 3) offer, request for instruction Shall I carry your bag? What shall we do this weekend? Should I put these books over there? Where should we meet tonight? 4) purpose clause They held the meeting on a Saturday in order that everybody should be free to attend. 5) duty, moral obligation (see also OUGHT TO) People should drive more carefully. 6) advice, suggestion (see also OUGHT TO) You should stop worrying about it. I should look out if I were you! 7) surprise (question word + should) I turned round and who should be sitting behind me but my ex-wife. 8) with verbs like command, insist etc. The law stipulates that new cars should be fitted with seatbelts. 9) with adjectives like essential, vital, inevitable etc. expressing importance, necessity It s important that she should talk to me when she gets here. 10) with adjectives like shocked, surprised etc. expressing personal opinion I was shocked that she shouldn t have invited him. He was anxious that his son should find happiness and security. 11) after if, lest, in case I ll get a chicken out of the freezer in case Aunt Mary should come. 12) expressing inability to understand after why Why shouldn t he go to a college? Why should he have said that? 13) tentative opinion (see also WOULD) I should think it was about 20 years ago. Note: I should/would have expected him to like it can mean a) I am not surprised that he likes it or b) I would have been quite wrong - he does not like it; I am surprised 14) assumption (see also OUGHT TO) Henry should get here soon - he left home at six. 15) criticism (see also MAY and MIGHT, CAN and COULD) You shouldn t tell lies. 7
16) Note: You should hear the way she talks to me. (=It s a pity you don t) You should have seen it. (=It s a pity you didn t) Note: in 1 only shall can be used and only in 1st person; in 2 only shall can be used and only in 2nd and 3rd persons; in 3 either shall or should can be used in 1st person and should in 2nd and 3rd persons; in 4 only should is used for the past; in 5-9 only should can be used with the simple or continuous infinitive; in 10-16 only should can be used with the simple, continuous or perfect infinitive, the latter does not always express past time, it simply indicates that an action/event happens before another action/event (in other words the perfect infinitive can stand for the past perfect, simple past, present perfect or even future perfect tenses) 8