MODAL AUXILIARIES: CHARACTERISTICS

MODAL AUXILIARIES


• No “s” ending in the 3rd singular present person: She can go
• Questions and negations without DO: Can she go? She cannot go
• Always followed by infinitive WITHOUT to: We can sleep now
• Never two modals together
• No infinitive
• No participle, neither present participle or past participle
• No imperative


MODAL:
CAN / COULD
SHALL / SHOULD
WILL / WOULD
MUST / MAY / MIGHT / OUGHT TO


SEMI-MODAL:
USED TO / NEED TO / HAVE TO / DARE TO


MARGINAL:
HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER / TEND TO


LESS Formal.............................................................MORE Formal
HIGH Possibility........................................................LOW Possibility

MUST–WILL–WOULD–OUGHT TO–SHOULD–CAN–COULD–MAY-MIGHT