Syntactic functions of modals.

Semantic functions of modals

Modals do not express any action or state. They only indicate that the action expressed by the infinitive which follows them is considered by the speaker to be possible, necessary, doubtful, desirable, etc.

Grammatical characteristics

- Modal verbs are followed by a bare infinitive, except for “ought to”.

You may come tonight. You ought to get a job.

- The negative and the interrogative are formed without the help of auxiliaries.

Can I say something? Icouldn’t understand him.

- Modal verbs do not take a suffix (-s, -ing or -ed).

He can stay here.

- Modal verbs do not have analytical forms (built by means of auxiliary verbs). Instead, the equivalents of modal verbs are used.

I have never had to make coffee for my boss. (pr. perfect)

- Modal verbs can’t be used as infinitives, gerunds or participles. Instead, the equivalents of modal verbs are used.

I hate having to get up so early every day. (gerund).

We don’t seem to be able to find the book you need. (infinitive) Not being able to go home by bus, I took a taxi. (participle I)

- Modals usually refer to the present or the future. Could, might, wouldandshouldare past in form, but do not actually refer to the past in most of their meanings. Could you help me? (polite form) Couldhe be so silly? (doubt)

There are only a few cases when modals have past reference:

He couldski well when he was young. (ability in the past);

When we were young we would go out together. (past habit);

Syntactic functions of modals.

A modal verb in combination with the infinitive which follows it forms a compound modal predicate. (складений дієслівний присудок)

You should read books. (A compound modal predicate)

Forms of the Infinitive

The infinitive of transitive verbs has 4 active forms and 2 passive ones.

	Indefinite	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Active	to do	to be doing	to have done	to have been doing
Passive	to be done	________	to have been done	________

The infinitive of intransitive verbs has only active forms.

	Indefinite	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Active	to work	to be working	to have worked	to have been working

Modals have primary and secondary functions. For example, the primary function of ‘must’ is to express obligation and the secondary – logical assumption.

We must be very careful. (Ми мусимо бути дуже обережними.)

Jane must be very careless. (Джейн, напевно, дуже неуважна.)

In the primary function modals are usually followed by indefinite infinitives.

He can’t leave yet. (не може) The report must be finished by tomorrow. (має)

In the secondary function modals can be followed by all forms of the infinitive. Modals in such sentences refer to the present while the infinitive indicates the time reference of the action. So, depending on the context, “You might have been sleeping” can mean:

I suppose (now) you were sleeping (at a moment in the past).

I suppose (now) you have been sleeping (for a period of time before the moment in the present).

I suppose (now) that you had been sleeping (for a period of time before the moment in the past).

UNIT I: ‘WILL’, ‘WOULD’, ‘SHALL’, ‘SHOULD’, ‘OUGHT’

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
PURPOSE CLAUSES	\|	WILL/WOULD

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