What do modal verbs express

It may rain. B: Well, I guess I could still go for a walk in the rain. Compare these sentences. Both are correct. Ann is not here today. She may be sick. Maybe she is sick. We use may, could and can to do this. Now, look at the main verbs that come after the subject. They are always in the simple form , just as with other modal verbs. When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.

Tel Email elcreg uvic. Toggle navigation Menu. Introduction These five verbs are examples of modal verbs. Check out our list of hundreds of phrasal verbs classified in alphabetical order. Do you want to provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity to your writing? Check out this list of figures of speech! Do you need to learn the irregular verbs in English? Here is a list of irregular verbs with definitions and examples!

We can use both may and might to express a possibility or make a prediction. For example,. There is a small difference in the level of probability.

Might is also a bit more informal than may and is more common in spoken English. We can also may and might to express possibility in the past.

When we ask and give permission we often use may as an alternative to can. In the past, might was also used to make requests. For example, Might we come in? We generally use may for requests in the first person — I and we. May and might are clearly great modal verbs to know because they enable you to do several important things in English such as make predictions and ask permission.

When we give a time reference there are various words we use such as at, on, in, and also for and since. Read on to find out when to use each one of them. Well, read on to find out! All four modals in this category are used in this way. Can you think of any examples of this meaning? Write a short sentence:.

The mere possession of weapons is sufficiently dangerous because accidents can happen with loaded guns. There cannot be a 'gene for altruistic behaviour', because such behaviour would require the action of genes at many loci. The results of the experiment could have been invented and so have nullified the conclusions.

I will discuss in a moment how such transport might be achieved, but first I give an example of its role in maintaining life. In speech: I don't know off the top of my head, but I find out for you. I give you any details at the moment. In writing: von Frisch discovered that bees communicate information about direction symbolically. Cells normally be seen without a microscope, being about one-thousandth of a millimetre in diameter. In speech: I don't know off the top of my head, but I can find out for you.

I cannot give you any details at the moment. In writing: von Frisch discovered that bees can communicate information about direction symbolically. Cells cannot normally be seen without a microscope, being about one-thousandth of a millimetre in diameter.

The use of can and may to ask or give someone permission is common in speech but rare in formal writing, because it involves personal interaction.

This category is simpler and there are two main meanings found in academic writing 2a.