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dailyemo.days

Friday, February 26, 2010

MODALS IN THE PAST FORM


Modal verbs and expressions

holla!

Now we`ll learn about modals.

First, What are modal verbs?

Modal verbs are also called auxiliary verbs, helping verbs and modal auxiliaries.

Modal verbs are not a complete verb, and they can only be used with a verb.

The usage of modal verbs:

*Modal verbs stay in the base form -> bare infinitive (v1)

ex : eat, go, write

*The following modal verbs are used to with the present tense:

can, will, shall, ought to, must, need, may, can

*The following modal verbs are used in the past tense:

would, should, could, might

We use modal verbs and expression to :

1. Talk about obligations and necessity

*You must sleep before 11 PM

* We have to come on time

* I had to walk ten miles to get home

2. Talk about permissions and prohibition

* You can`t enter this room

* We mustn`t do this

* You can go in now

3. Talk about lack of obligation

* We don`t have to prepare anything, Bob does it for us

* You needn`t worry about Jim`s safety, i`m sure he`ll be all right

4. Talk about abilities

* I can speak Indonesian, English, Chinese and Japanese.

* I could sing when i was three

* I can`t speak french

5. Talk about possibilities

* Don`t worry. He couldn`t find us in this crowd

* I could go there and tell them anything i know

6. Make a guess or to speculate

* Today will be a rainy day

* They must have found out our identity

* She might be Korean

* She could be at the cafetaria.

7. Make predictions

* I think they won`t come

* He`ll be late again

* They may win the contest

8. Make decisions

* I`ll talk to my mom about our plan

* I won`t go back to that home

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can't have

certainty

e.g. I can't have lost my keys! (I'm sure I didn't)

could

permission

e.g. When I was a teenager, I could go out as late as I wanted.


general ability

e.g. Tom could walk by the age of 8 months.

could have

possibility, but did not happen

e.g. I could have passed my driving test if I'd really tried.


uncertainty

e.g. I guess it could have been Sandra on the phone.

couldn't

permission

e.g. When I was a teenager, I couldn't stay out as late as I wanted.


general ability

e.g. I couldn't walk until I was 2.


ability in a particular situation

e.g. I tried hard but I couldn't persuade him to go to the party with us.

couldn't have possibility/ability

e.g. I couldn't possibly have passed my driving test, even if I'd tried harder.


uncertainty

e.g. It couldn't have been Sandra on the phone, could it?


with comparative adjectives

e.g. I couldn't have asked for better weather on my wedding day.


unwillingness

e.g. I couldn't have left the dog in the car for long (so I didn't).

didn’t need to

unnecessary action not done

e.g. As I was alone this weekend, I didn't need to do any cooking (so I didn't).

had to

obligation (past form of must)

e.g. I couldn't go out last night because I had to do my homework.

may have

uncertainty

e.g. I guess I may have been a bit hard on her when she came home an hour late.

may not have

uncertainty

e.g. He may not have found out yet that he has passed the test.

might have

possibility (didn't happen)

e.g. You might have been killed!


uncertainty

e.g. I guess I might have been a bit hard on her when she came home an hour late.


annoyance at someone's failure to do something

e.g. You might have told me that you had invited all your colleagues round for dinner!


might have known + would (idiom to ironically express that somebody's action was typical)

e.g. I might have known that he would finish with me as soon as he found out I wasn't wealthy!

might not have

uncertainty

e.g. He may not have found out yet that he has passed the test.

must have

certainty

e.g. He must have known how much it was going to cost. (I'm sure he knew.)


with surely in exclamations

e.g. Surely he must have known how much it was going to cost!

needn't have

unnecessary action that was actually done

e.g. Oh, you needn't have done the washing up!

ought not to have

criticism (more common is shouldn't have)

e.g. You ought not to have been so frank with him.

ought to have

expectation (should have is more common)

Why is she late? She ought to have arrived by now!

should have

expectation

Why is she late? She should have arrived by now!


should have + verbs of thinking

e.g. I should have thought you knew.


with be and adjectives, describing chance

e.g. It was weird that you should have been staying in the same hostel last month.


criticism (you didn't do something, but it would have been the right thing to do)

e.g. The party was such fun last night! You should have come!

shouldn't have

criticism

e.g. You shouldn't have been so frank with him.


polite expression of thanks on receiving a gift or favour

"Here's a bottle of wine for you"

"Oh, you really shouldn't have!"

would have

events in the past that did not happen

e.g. I wouldn't have gone out with him, but he didn't ask me.


assumptions

e.g. Oh, that would have been Sarah on the phone just now.

would not unwillingness

e.g. I asked Tom to close the window, but he wouldn't do it.



Past modals come in two forms. The first type is the easiest and usually requires only a simple word change:
    I can drive.

    I could drive when I was 16.

    I have to go to California.

    I had to go to California.

    Lenny will pay tomorrow.

    Lenny said he would pay tomorrow.

    (present ability)

    (past ability)

    (present obligation)

    (past obligation)

    (future intention)

    (future reported from the past)

Past modals with have

Some past modals can be formed by using have + the past participle of the main verb immediately after the modal. (should have, could have, would have, etc.)

However, since modals express possibility, intention, obligation, etc., they do not always indicate a definite tense. Therefore, when using past modals with have, special meanings need to be considered.

I should go to the funeral.

I should have gone to the funeral.

Lex might take Karen to the airport.

Lex might have taken Karen to the airport.

Lex could have taken Karen to the airport.

Lex would have taken Karen to the airport.

Otis didn't come to work yesterday.

He had to take care of his children.

His children must have been sick.

(I feel an obligation to go--later.)

(I didn't go. Now I regret it.)

(It's a future possibility.)

(He may be on his way there now.)

(Most likely he didn't.)

(He didn't. He had an excuse.)

(past fact)

(past obligation)

(conjecture about the past)

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