Meanings of modals

1. Meanings of modals March 31, 2010

2. CAN/COULD • Three major meanings of these modals are: • possibility (especially in questions and negatives; epistemic modality) • Can it be true? (Is it possible that it is true?) • It cannot be true! (It is not possible that it is true – disbelief! Also, in this meaning, can and not can be contracted to give can’t : It can’t be true!) • Look at the next two examples: • Even expert drivers can make mistakes. • Horses can be dangerous.

3. They represent a rather specific subtype of possibility, that may be called sporadic or existential , because they can be paraphrased as • It is possible that even expert drivers make mistakes sometimes • It is possible that some expert drives make mistakes (some and sometimes are so –called existential quantifiers)

4. B) Ability (dynamic modality) • Can you remember where they live ? • Magda could speak three languages by the age of seven. • They say Bill can cook better than his wife. • In each of these examples the modal CAN means ‘be able to’ or ‘be capable of’ . The difference between the ‘possibility can’ and the ‘ability can’ is clearly seen in the paraphrase It is possible for him (on account of his ability). It is only in this meaning that the modal could behaves as the past tense of the modal can, and only when it refers to an ability which lasted or existed for a longer period and was not only an instance of ability at one time, as in

5. I can do it for you / * I could do it for you yesterday, • but • I was able to do it for you yesterday. • Also, if referred to the future time, can is substituted by will be able to. Compare: • *You can pass your exam next time you take it. (but can be interpreted as possibility in the future) • You will be able to pass you exam next time you take it. • A special subtype of this meaning is represented by the use of can/could with inanimate subjects ; as we cannot speak of the ability of such subjects, we talk of their capacities (in the container sense); • The hall can/could seat five thousand people.

6. C) permission : CAN is a less formal substitute for MAY, which is less and less used to denote permission. You can use this modal both when granting and asking for permission. It can be paraphrased as be allowedto : • Can/Could I come in? (Am I allowed to come in?) • Can/Could I talk to Bessie, please? • You can sit down now. • In those days, only men could vote

7. D) Use of CAN with stative verbs of perception and intellectual, mental state verbs such as understand, remember, etc.: • I can smell something burning. • I could feel his heart if I put my hand over his chest. • Can you remember…? • I can’t understand…

8. A note on the ‘past form’: since it is obvious that in the largest majority of cases could, might and other forms which have traditionally been called ‘past tenses’ of modals do not even have reference to the past time, we shall use Langacker’s term ‘distal forms’ : therefore, COULD, WOULD, SHOULD, MIGHT are the distal forms of modals CAN, WILL, SHALL and MAY. ) • Some pragmatic considerations: • The modals are often associated with particular pragmatic uses, as in requests, offers, promises, etc. where these distal forms (because they denote ‘distance’) tend to have implications of tentativeness or politeness. Therefore, CAN denoting possibility on the part of the interlocutor is often used for polite requests: • Can/ Could you open the windows please? • In which the distal form question sounds more tentative/polite.

9. MAY/MIGHT • A) possibility : paraphrased as It is possible that; epistemic modality, time reference: the speaker’s judgment about the proposition being or becoming true is always in the present time, referring either to the present, future or the past times. However a change in the infinitive is necessary in the third case: • e.g. You may be right.(You might have been right) • We may never succeed. (They may have never succeeded) • There might be some complaints. (There might have been some complaints) • MIGHT is used as more tentative alternative to MAY; we use it when we want to express less commitment towards the truth of the proposition, i.e. when we believe the proposition content is less likely to be true or to become true.

10. e.g. In the prehistoric times, the people might have made tools of flint. • Sometimes, MAY is interchangeable with CAN, especially in formal language. In those senses it is equivalent to the sporadic or existential use of CAN: • e.g. A clever man with a clever wife may take any position they want. • During the summer, the snow-covered tops of the mountains may be observed in the distance. • Notes on negation: in this sense, may cannot be negated ; the particle not negates the lexical verb, i.e. the content of the proposition and not the modal. Therefore, the paraphrase of • She may not be coming ( It is possible that she is not coming) • And not It is not possible that she is coming as it is the case with CANNOT

11. B) permission: more formal and less common than CAN, especially associated with permission given by the speaker (I permit you…) whereas can (You are allowed, permitted – it is permission of more general kind). • Prescriptive rules (normative) favour the use of MAY for permission. MIGHT is a more tentative form, although it is practically not used for permission-giving.

12. C) Speech act conditionals: • If I may … • If I may ask, when did you leave the IBM?; • If I may say so, you look a bit run down... • D) concessive meaning in adverbial clauses: Strange as it may seem, she still brought a lot of happiness into his life. (Although it may seem strange to you…; concessive meaning in main clauses preceding ‘but’: I may have my flaws, but you are a champion…(I admitI have flaws, you are worse than me).

13. MUST • A) necessity: • two kinds of necessity : • 1)Logical assumption, concluding on the premises the speaker possesses, as in • e.g. This must be the postman (1. The postman always comes at 9. • It is 9 and someone is at the door.) (It is necessary that it is the postman) • 2)Dynamic (root) necessity : there is no human control to impose obligation, but certain conditions have to be fulfilled to make something happen: • e.g. This plant must receive a good deal of sunshine and water to grow. (It is necessary for the plant to receive…)

14. C) obligation/ compulsion • again, two kinds of obligation: • the speaker exercises his authority over someone else: You must be back by 9. • the speaker exercises his authority over himself: I must be off now, I’m afraid. • Notes on negation: • Necessity meanings of MUST cannot be negated by means of NOT; in other words, must not (mustn’t) does not imply negation of necessity, but, as a rule, has a deontic meaning (prohibition = negative compulsion/obligation). The negative obligation is expressed by needn’t. However there may be an expression of logical necessity of a negative event: • You must not go to church in order to check if God exists. • (It is necessary that you do not go…)

15. sarcastic use • If you really must go, then do it now. • If you really must smoke in here, then at least use an ashtray. • Or , in questions • Must there be some good reason for delay? (Does there have to be…)

16. WILL/WOULD (‘ll/’d) • Note: the contractions are only of will/would, and not for shall/should, which is proved by the fact that where will/would are not interchangeable with shall/should , the contractions do not appear for shall/should. • You’ll (will) feel better after this medicine. • But • *You’d have met her at the station. • For • You should (ought to) have met her at the station.

17. A) prediction (three types) • a1) the common future : You will feel better after this medicine . Also, in the past: I was told I would feel better after this medicine. • a2) present prediction (epistemic modality) • She will have had her dinner by now. • That’ll be the postman. • a3) habitual prediction (characteristic behaviour) • If litmus paper is dipped in acid, it will turn red. • Or in timeless statements of predictability • Oil will float on water. • He’ll talk for hours. • She’ll sit on the floor quietly, playing with her toys.

18. Similarly to CAN, WILL can have the meaning of capacity (The hall will seat ten thousand spectators) or potentiality (That’s a beauty . How fast will she go?

19. B) volition (three types) • b1) intention: I’ll write as soon as I can; We won’t stay long; The director told me he would phone us after the meeting. • b2) willingness: Will/Would you help me take this bag in. • Inanimate subjects can also be combined with WILL/WOULD used with this meaning – as if objects had willingness of their own: • It’s a good piano, it just won’t stay in tune. • I tried to open the door, but the key wouldn’t turn. • b3) insistence: If you will go out without your overcoat, what do you expect? She would keep interrupting me. • Also, there are two lexical meanings of WILL: • He willed his wealth to his ex-wife. • Hamlet wishes to will, but he never wills anything.

20. SHALL • It is a rather rare auxiliary and has only two uses which are current: • A) Prediction (instead of WILL in formal uses; BrE prescriptive grammar, old fashioned) • When shall we know the results of the elections? • B) Volition (again very formal) • We shall uphold the wishes of the people. • It is also possible to check the wishes of the interlocutors (other people) by using this meaning of shall

21. Shall we send the parcel to your home address, sir? • Shall I open the window? • Shall I bring the visitor in, madam? • In these examples the meaning moves from volitional to obligational. •  In a very restricted sense, SHALL can be used with 2nd and 3rd persons. Then it means the speaker’s volition which may carry the force of promise, an order or a threat:

22. You shall have your books tomorrow. • You shall keep quiet. • You shall get it when we get home. • C) Legal SHALL/ Prophetic SHALL • In legal documents or regulations • Students shall remain in their bedrooms after dinner. • Passengers shall not converse with the driver. • The vendor shall maintain the equipment in good order. • Nation shall rise against nation and there shall be famine.

23. NEED / HAVE (GOT) TO • Need is a marginal modal that primarily means BEING UNDER OBLIGATION. It is used in negative and interrogative sentences, whereas in affirmative statements it is substituted by MUST, HAVE TO, OUGHT TO , SHOULD, BE BOUND TO : • Need can also be a lexical verb , which means REQUIRE, BE IN NEED OF, LACK. It has the preterit form just like any other lexical verb, whereas when it behaves like a modal, it takes the perfect infinitive to denote to the past event. (You needn’t have hurried so. (but you did))

24. I need a car. • One needs to go further than one generation. • He needs to come and so do I. • Your hair needs cutting. • I needed to get new tyres . •  HAVE TO • Semi-modal which has the following meanings: • A) Obligation which is external, not coming from the speaker, especially as the past tense of MUST • He had to go yesterday. • He said he had to go yesterday

25. B) Root necessity: • The plants have to receive plenty of sunshine to grow. • instead of NEED meaning necessity : • You’ll have to hurry if you want to catch a train.