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Modals and their meaning
In this table modal auxiliariesA helping verb used with main verbs to express mood, voice and tense. E.g.: I can't stand when I am disturbed. ("can", "am") and similar structureThe way in which the parts of a sentence, clause or expression are arranged. E.g.: make somebody + infinitive in "The teacher made me rewrite the composition."s are listed in alphabetical orders.
Modals expressing present and future advice
To give advice someone what they should do, the following auxiliariesA helping verb used with main verbs to express mood, voice and tense. E.g.: I can't stand when I am disturbed. ("can", "am") are used.
You should smoke less.
You had better leave.
You ought not to open that box, Pandora. (or: You oughtn't to open that box.)
Note that ought to is rather formalNot belonging to colloquial or everyday speech; official. E.g.: I demand that Mr Smith call the person on whom the committee has decided..
AS IF, AS THOUGH
ClauseA group of related words containing a subject and a verb.s that start with as if/as though express doubt or uncertainty if they are followed by an unrealA tense that expresses a hypothetical situation. E.g.: I wish you were here. tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses.. Otherwise, they express that the statement is true or might be true.
BE + superlative adjective + TO + infinitive
This structureThe way in which the parts of a sentence, clause or expression are arranged. E.g.: make somebody + infinitive in "The teacher made me rewrite the composition." actually replaces a defining relative clauseA group of related words containing a subject and a verb..
Geoffrey was the last to understand the joke. (= Geoffrey was the last person who understood the joke.)
If we want to express an actionA general term expressing that somebody or something does something in the passive voiceThe form of the transitive verb that shows whether the subject acts (active voice) or is acted upon (passive voice)., a passive infinitive is used:
Common reporting sentence structures
In this chapter you can find a compilation of reporting verbA part of speech that expresses an action or a state. E.g.: John seldom plays tennis.s which is based not on the mood of the original utteranceSomething that somebody says in a specific context. (declarativeThe sentence type used to make statements; it can be an affirmative sentence or a negative sentence. E.g.: John likes squash a lot. Tim has no friends. , interrogativeThe sentence type used to express a direct question. E.g.: What are you doing? or imperativeThe sentence type used to express suggestions, directions or orders. E.g.: Clean your shoes, will you?), but on the use of the verbs themselves. Note that some of the verbs can be used in several different ways.
Guiding questions: conditionals and unreal tenses
- Which if-sentence is not a conditional sentence?
- When is a tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. unrealA tense that expresses a hypothetical situation. E.g.: I wish you were here.?
- How can we mix conditional sentences?
- What modals can be used in conditionals?
- What is the similarity between conditionals and sentences starting with I wish…/If only…?
- What happens to conditional s
IT'S (HIGH) TIME
It's (high) time you left. You will miss the bus.
This sentence refers to present time and it implies that perhaps it is already too late. We can use this structureThe way in which the parts of a sentence, clause or expression are arranged. E.g.: make somebody + infinitive in "The teacher made me rewrite the composition." in the past tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. too, however, the unrealA tense that expresses a hypothetical situation. E.g.: I wish you were here. tense in the second clauseA group of related words containing a subject and a verb. will not change.
It was time I left.
Compare with this structure:
MAKE + somebody + infinitive
This structureThe way in which the parts of a sentence, clause or expression are arranged. E.g.: make somebody + infinitive in "The teacher made me rewrite the composition." implies that the other person did not really want to do something but they were forced.
The teacher made Jack rewrite the composition.
When we transform this structure into the passive, we insert to between make and the infinitive.
Modals
Modals are auxiliariesA helping verb used with main verbs to express mood, voice and tense. E.g.: I can't stand when I am disturbed. ("can", "am") that can be used to modify the meaning of the following verbA part of speech that expresses an action or a state. E.g.: John seldom plays tennis.. Different modals can express the same notion, while one specific modal can have different meanings.
He can't be at home. (certainty)
You can't go to the cinema. (permission)
You may not go to the cinema. (permission)