All Questions
Tagged with modal-verbs word-usage
32 questions
16
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12
answers
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The usage of "can not" vs. "cannot" in mathematics
I saw the following passage in Professor West's homepage, and I hadn't noticed this point before. See https://dwest.web.illinois.edu/grammar.html#cannot
"Can not" and "may be". ...
- 319
0
votes
2
answers
604
views
'Expect' followed by S + will + V?
Looking up 'expect' will bring up discussions of whether it should be followed by the infinitive or a present participle, and the infinitive is the winner.
But what about when using a modal verb, ...
0
votes
2
answers
39
views
Meaning of this sentence with would
My friend said I did not think I would marry her. Why did he use would in that sentence?
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57
votes
5
answers
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Why can't the word "can" be used in future tense (will can)?
I'm curious about why the English word can cannot be used in future tense (e.g. will can).
An example unrelated to English is French term je pourrai, but that's exactly what I mean.
Compare German ...
- 1,336
0
votes
2
answers
224
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Hybrid of "can" and "may"?
Not a duplicate! Here are the differences:
I already read the other question while researching prior to asking this, and it didn't answer my question. Come on, you gotta believe me!
The other ...
- 216
59
votes
17
answers
37k
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"Can I" vs "May I" in restaurant setting when ordering [duplicate]
A while back, while we were getting fast food, my friend commented on my usage of "can" versus "may" when asking to take my order. I said:
Can I have a .......
and my friend argued you're ...
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1
vote
0
answers
87
views
How does "would" work in the following sentences?
How does "would" work in the following sentences? Is "would" tentative or hypothetical situation here?
Any advice that you give would be appreciated.
-Regarding the "Glorious is God" example. The ...
- 57
8
votes
1
answer
11k
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How are "might" and "may" used in the past?
OK, we all know that epistemic modals such as may and might can be interchanged to express possibility in present & future
For example: he might be late, and he may be late are almost the same. ...
- 4,805
0
votes
1
answer
73
views
what's the difference between "What if you stepped into" and "What if you could step into"?
what's the difference between "What if you stepped into" and "What if you could step into"?
For example,
“What if you could step into situations where political, social, and environmental issues ...
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1
vote
0
answers
360
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are the sentence "He couldn't be lost now" "He couldn't have been lost yesterday" (expressing a deduction) wrong?
Most websites say that must, might, may, could, can't can be used to make a guess of something or to deduce something.
British Council says:
must
We use must when we feel sure that something is true ...
- 4,805
0
votes
2
answers
1k
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Is "We could see the whole of London." wrong? [closed]
Ok, This site says:
When we talk about ability, we mean two things.
First, we mean general ability. This is something that once you have
learned you can do any time you want, like being able ...
- 4,805
0
votes
2
answers
3k
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"should be studying" or "should have been studying" when the opportunity is lost by 50%?
Ok, for a lost opportunity, we use "should have + PP"
Ex: You have just missed the train because you woke up late. You should have gone to bed early yesterday.
But What about when the opportunity ...
- 4,805
2
votes
1
answer
6k
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So, "might have been sleeping" (Modal perfect continuous) corresponds to past continuous, present perfect continuous or past perfect continuous?
"Modal + have + PP" refers to the past
But it is quite ambiguous!!
What does "the past" mean?
Simple Past, Present perfect, Past perfect all refers to the past.
So the question is:
Does Modal + ...
- 4,805
2
votes
3
answers
2k
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What are the differences between "May" & "Might" / "May have" & "Might have" in strict English?
The more I learn about Modals, the more confused I get. English Modals are very unstructured or adhere to a rigorous structure & that makes foreigners hard to understand them.
According to ...
- 4,805
-1
votes
1
answer
130
views
Is could + have used correctly in this particular context [closed]
In this video in min. 3:59 the guy, who is teaching English says: "how could you have allowed me to do that" and he claims that that means "how did you let me do that". From my understanding that's ...
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5
votes
7
answers
4k
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Is use of "shall" archaic?
A friend of mine, pursuing BA(Hons) in English corrected me that no one uses shall now and often it is advised to prefer the use of should, would, etc.
Although Downton Abbey is set upon a time ...
- 76
3
votes
1
answer
9k
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'I think' and 'I would think' difference
What is the difference between the two, are they intеrchangable?
I heard this dialogue in a movie:
Someone spilled coke on the transmitter
It was beer. I would think.
Could he just say "...
- 227
1
vote
1
answer
1k
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When is "need" a modal verb, and when is it not? [closed]
When do we use "need" as a modal verb and say "need something" or "need do something", and when do we say:
"need to do something"
"I needed"
"he needs" etc.?
Can we use "will need"?
-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
0
votes
3
answers
1k
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Usage of can vs may [duplicate]
It is said that can and may both are used as a sense of possibility.
If that’s the case, then what is the difference between:
It can be very dangerous to cycle at night.
It may be very dangerous to ...
- 470
2
votes
2
answers
433
views
"Would" & " Used to"
"Would " & " Used to ".
They both are used for repeated action in the past tense. Then what is the difference between them?
1
vote
1
answer
431
views
Would and Could [duplicate]
In a formal agreement, we can place one of these two sentences:
He would do sth.
He could do sth.
What we want is that if the person, He, wants and is willing to "do sth," he is able to do that and ...
- 719
6
votes
6
answers
987
views
Shift to "must" for negation of "have to"?
According to englishpage.com, if have to or must expresses certainty, the negative form uses must not. Example:
That has to be Jerry. They said he was tall with bright red hair.
=> That must not ...
- 5,153
0
votes
2
answers
42k
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Use of 'Could' in the Past Tense
What are the possible meanings and implications of the following sentences:
He could come yesterday.
He could not come yesterday.
He could have come yesterday.
He could not have come yesterday.
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3
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8k
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"Can see" or "see"?
In the song "Me Neither" Brad Paisley sings:
"...would you like to dance
Me neither I was just bein' polite
Thank goodness my feet are much too tired
I'm sure you're tired too, I can see an empty ...
- 1,406
10
votes
1
answer
40k
views
Are "was/were able to" and "could" interchangeable?
In a grammar book, the claim was made that in the following sentences one cannot substitute "was/were able to" with "could."
The fire spread through the building very quickly, but ...
- 1,511
2
votes
3
answers
1k
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What is the usage of "need to want"?
"Indeed, whoever buys this needs to want a tablet and laptop in more or less equal measure."
"Needs to want"? Isn't it a kind of unnecessary way around saying:
"I think that people buy this if they ...
- 1,513
6
votes
5
answers
2k
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What modal verbs do natives use nowadays?
We are being taught English by a native speaker from Alaska. He states that many of modal verbs we were taught are outdated and have been replaced.
E.g.:
We must ➙ We have to
May I ...
- 251
0
votes
1
answer
14k
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What are usages similar to "Need I say more?"?
I recall hearing usages like
Need I say more?
Need I remind you that ...?
instead of
Do I need to say more?
Do I need to remind you that ...?
Indeed, they sound better, at least to me. I ...
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35
votes
3
answers
144k
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May you please explain this?
At a family dinner, my 18-year-old niece asked my sister, "May you please pass the salt?" My sister said that she was impressed with her daughter's politeness, but that that particular wording was not ...
- 2,698
3
votes
8
answers
5k
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Confusing structures with modal verbs
I have skimmed through the part on modals of a classic grammar book (Murphy's "Grammar in Use") and picked up all the structures that look strange to me. Could you, please, explain how often ...
- 553
1
vote
3
answers
3k
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"Can I have one apple from your box?" vs "Could I have one apple from your box?" [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When do I use “can” or “could”?
I was doing some reading on usage of can and could. I understand that can is used when asking for ability, and could for willingness.
I would ...
- 121