All Questions
Tagged with modal-verbs semi-modals
20 questions
5
votes
2
answers
454
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What's quasi-modal be?
What's quasi-modal be? It is not a traditional grammar term. Google says
You are to be good. <=> You must be good.
Other than obligation, what modalities can the quasiness refer to?
What ...
- 161
3
votes
2
answers
317
views
How does "dare" change in indirect speech?
In indirect speech some modal verbs usually change.
can -> could
He said "I can ride a bike" = He said that he could ride a bike
may -> might/could
He asked "May I use the ...
- 149
3
votes
2
answers
87
views
When the verb dare is an auxiliary, can it take the preterite form dared?
I need to distinguish the auxiliary dare and the lexical dare. I know that as semi-modals need and dare act similarly. As a modal the verb need can only have present tense forms without the 3rd person ...
- 137
3
votes
3
answers
548
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How did "ought" lose its original usage as the past tense of "owe"?
Ought is originally the past tense of owe (v.). It appears that this usage is retained in Scottish and in some dialects of English. The current use of ought in standard English is a modal auxiliary (...
- 65.5k
2
votes
0
answers
105
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What is the reason for quasi-modals existing and why do they imply different meaning than the modals themselves?
What I mean is - Why do we have collocations such as "be supposed to", "have to", "be able to"? I understand that modals are defective, but maybe more fundamentally, why ...
- 101
1
vote
0
answers
52
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Real Conditional Clause + Present Unreal Main Clause [closed]
Is it grammatical to say these four sentences?
If I have studied it for four years, I should be good at it.
If I had studied it for four years, I should be good at it.
If I have been studying it ...
- 51
0
votes
0
answers
226
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the auxiliary “need” (in affirmative sentences?)
I remember being told the modal “need” is used only in interrogative and negative sentences and was for quite a long time more idiomatic than the normal forms, but is there anything wrong with the ...
- 495
9
votes
2
answers
506
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Why can't I use a regular modal verb here?
I have a question regarding the following question in a English grammar test:
Fill in the correct option in the blank:
What ___ in order to get a permit to work in your country?
A) do I need to do
...
- 93
-1
votes
3
answers
2k
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Is it possible to say "we were better" meaning "we better" in the past tense?
I know that textbooks maintain that this phrase (even not exactly this, since it's the "incorrect" version of "we had better") should be used only in the present and future tenses but I wonder if it's ...
- 159
1
vote
3
answers
8k
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I can say: "You shouldn't have done this!" Can I say: "You had better not have done this!"?
Provided "should" and "had better" are near synonyms (stronger advice in "had better" than in "should" or in more formal "ought to"), I know I can say
You shouldn't have done this!
But how about
...
- 4,142
4
votes
3
answers
38k
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Future Tense of Modal Verbs
All normal verbs can be conjugated in the future tense.
e.g. I know, I will know. I do, I will do.
But I have noticed that we cannot conjugate the modal verb can in the future tense.
can, I will ...
- 449
4
votes
3
answers
3k
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Is it possible to use had to + past participle?
I always think that the proper use of this construction is, for example: 'After the death of her grandfather, she had to take over his duties on the farm'.
This is a sentence from my paper, which ...
- 41
3
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Passive of modal verb "dare"
What would be the passive of the following sentence?
You dare not talk to her.
Also, is it right to say "you dare not talk to her" at all?
- 109
2
votes
3
answers
3k
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Are there other verbs that work like “dare” and “need”? [duplicate]
The verbs dare and need do not require auxiliaries when used in the interrogative; for example, “need I?” is as acceptable as “do I need?”
Excluding the auxiliaries themselves (like be, do, have),
...
- 21
24
votes
6
answers
105k
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"need to do" vs "need do"
Consider:
I need to do this.
I need do this.
My English grammar knowledge tells me that "need" doesn't have the same status as the modal verbs "may", "can", "...
- 867
25
votes
5
answers
100k
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"How dare you" vs "How do you dare"
I know that dare is a semi-modal verb. I just don't know when to use it like a modal auxiliary verb and when to use it like a normal verb. Given the following examples:
How dare you ...
How do ...
- 4,253
6
votes
2
answers
2k
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Grammar of 'dare' in this example
What is the grammar of the verb 'dare' in the following example?
The pizza was nice but, dare I say it, the salad was awful.
Is it some type of imperative?
- 8,766
13
votes
4
answers
7k
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Is it appropriate to omit "to" after "ought"?
Is it appropriate to omit to after ought?
I ought to be disciplined for my insolence.
Vs.
I ought be disciplined for my insolence.
Is it okay to omit the to?
user11550
13
votes
1
answer
20k
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"Dare" with and without "to"
To my surprise, there's a missing question about this particularly interesting verb, dare. All I know about it is the fact it can be in two forms, as an auxiliary (without to: "I dare not mention ...
- 613
70
votes
1
answer
328k
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Why use "need not" instead of "do not need to"?
The header of psyco.sourceforge.net states:
High-level languages need not be slower than low-level ones.
Why use need not instead of do not need? What does it mean? Also, why no to before be?
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