Tugas Softskill 4 Bahasa Inggris Bisnis ( Task )

Nama : Asep Suryadi

Kelas : 3EB11

NPM : 20208200

Modal Auxiliary Verbs

The verbs can, could, will, would, should, may, might, must, ought and shall are verbs which 'help' other verbs to express a meaning: it is important to realise that these "modal verbs" have no meaning by themselves. A modal verb such as would has several varying functions; it can be used, for example, to help verbs express ideas about the past, the present and the future. It is therefore wrong to simply believe that "would is the past of will": it is many other things.

Modal auxiliary verbs have three main characteristics.

1. They are never used alone.

A modal auxiliary verb cannot be used alone. A principal verb is either present or implied.

ü He will come. (Will – modal; come – principal)

ü She can go. (Can – modal; go – principal)

ü You should wait. (Should – modal; wait – principal)

Principal verbs, on the other hand, can stand alone.

ü He came.

ü She went to the market.

ü I waited for two hours.

2. The modal auxiliaries do not change their form, whatever be the number and person of the subject.

ü I can write. You can write. They can write. We can write. She can write.

Primary auxiliaries change their form according to the number and person of the subject.

ü He is writing. They are writing. We are writing. I was writing.

ü I do agree. He does agree. You do agree.

Principal verbs also have a different form in the third person.

ü I work. You work. He works.

ü I write. You write. He writes.

3. Modal auxiliaries do not have infinitive or participle forms. You cannot say: to shall, to must or to can.

In the same way, you cannot add -ing to any of these auxiliaries to make present participles. Modal auxiliaries do not have past participles either.

Notes : When you say to will, to need or to dare, the verbs will, need and dare are principal verbs, and not auxiliaries. Similarly, when you say willing, needing and daring, the verbs will, need and dare are used as principal verbs, and not auxiliaries. Primary auxiliaries have infinitive and participle forms.

Infinitives

ü She wants to be promoted.

ü She seems to have gone.

Present participle

ü He is being followed.

ü Having lost the war, Germany surrendered.

Past participle

ü She has been promoted.

Remember that:

ü Modal verbs cannot be used by themselves.

ü Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs, so their position in the sentence is that of primary auxiliary verbs (be, do, have):

o I can swim. Subject + Modal + Main Verb

o I can’t swim. Subject + Modal + Not Main Verb

o Can you swim? Modal + Subject + Main Verb + ?

ü For this reason, when you use a modal verb in a sentence, you cannot use other auxiliary verbs.

ü Modal verbs never change form: you can never add “-s” or “-ed” to a modal verb.

ü Modal verbs, like primary auxiliary verbs, are never followed by “to”, with the exception of “ought to”.