When I was studying ESL in London, England, Modals were among the most challenging concepts for me.  I could not understand, for example, why we used the past form of the modal 'would' in present sentences, such as "Would you bring me a cup of coffee?" or "Could you help me?  It took me a long time before I was able to understand English modals and their function. 

 Well, I will share with you my findings about modals, what they really mean, how they are used, and when and under what conditions we can use them. 

 The meaning of modals:

As it was the case with me, the meaning of modals can be confusing to an ESL learner.  In traditional grammar books we often find large charts, which attempt to summarize the form and meaning of modals.  Such presentations give a rather fragmented view of the modals.  Here, we will give consideration to the semantic meaning in which modals are used.

 Social interact ional uses of modals:

1- one major system in the social use of modals entails making requests. 

These can be requests of a general nature:

 Will                 

Would      you help me with this exercise?                  

Can

Could

or can be specific requests for permission:

May

Might       I go home early?   

Can

Could

 2- the second major system in the social interact ional use of modals involves the giving of advice.                                

You might take an online course.

You could take an online course

You should take an online course.  

You had better take an online course.  

You must take an online course.

Notice that each sentence above reflects the authority of the speaker. Authority of the speaker or urgency of the message increases.  

Logical probability uses of modals:

 

The logical use of some of the same modals typically deals with an inference or prediction, for example:

John:   Someone is at the door.

Mary:   It may be Martha. (Inference)  

 Notice now that in the following examples the degree of certainty regarding inference increases:                   

John:   Someone is knocking.

Mary:   That could be Martha.

Can

Could

or can be specific requests for permission:

May

Might       I go home early?   

Can

Could

 2- the second major system in the social interact ional use of modals involves the giving of advice.                                

You might take an online course.

You could take an online course

You should take an online course.  

You had better take an online course.  

You must take an online course.

Notice that each sentence above reflects the authority of the speaker. Authority of the speaker or urgency of the message increases.  

Logical probability uses of modals:

 

The logical use of some of the same modals typically deals with an inference or prediction, for example:

John:   Someone is at the door.

Mary:   It may be Martha. (Inference)  

 Notice now that in the following examples the degree of certainty regarding inference increases:                   

John:   Someone is knocking.

Mary:   That could be Martha.

 

Can

Could

or can be specific requests for permission:

May

Might       I go home early?   

Can

Could

 2- the second major system in the social interact ional use of modals involves the giving of advice.                                

You might take an online course.

You could take an online course

You should take an online course.  

You had better take an online course.  

You must take an online course.

Notice that each sentence above reflects the authority of the speaker. Authority of the speaker or urgency of the message increases.  

Logical probability uses of modals:

 

The logical use of some of the same modals typically deals with an inference or prediction, for example:

John:   Someone is at the door.

Mary:   It may be Martha. (Inference)  

 Notice now that in the following examples the degree of certainty regarding inference increases:                   

John:   Someone is knocking.

Mary:   That could be Martha.

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