modal verbs

modal verbs
modal verbs
Modal (or, more fully, modal auxiliary) verbs are used to express the mood (in the linguistic sense that distinguishes statements, commands, suppositions, questions, and so on) of other verbs. The principal verbs of this type are can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, will. These verbs behave in special ways, of which the most important are (1) that they can form questions and negatives without the use of do (Can I go? / You may not leave), and (2) their third-person singular forms do not add -s (She will / It must). A group of other verbs that share some of these features, such as dare and need, are sometimes called semi-modal. Note that be, do, and have, which behave somewhat differently, are not classed as modal verbs but as ordinary auxiliary verbs.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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