Modal Verbs

COURSE PAPER

Modal Verbs

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ………………………..………………………………….......... 3
CHAPTER ONE. CATEGORY OF MODALITY AND MEANS OF ITS EXPRESSION …………...…………………………...…......4 1.1. Notion of modality and history of its study ……….…….………….4 1.2. Modal verbs as means of expressing modality………………...........6
Conclusions to Chapter One ………………………………………………........12
CHAPTER TWO. LEXICO-GRAMMATICAL MEANS OF EXRESSING MODALITY …………………………………………...…..13 2.1. Modal verbs as means of expressing possibility and probability....13 2.2. Modal verbs as means of expressing advice………………… .…..14 2.3. Modal verbs as means of expressing necessity.………….………..15 2.4. Modal verbs as means of expressing permission and request …….18
Conclusions to Chapter Two …………………………………..………..……...20
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ………………………….………………..….... ..21
RÉSUMÉ ………………………………………………..……………..…...........23
LIST OF REFERENCE MATERIALS ……………..……………………....…24

INTRODUCTION

Modal verbs are common auxiliary verbs in Germanic languages including English that indicate modality. The meanings of modal verbs are extremely important for understanding how modal verbs work. This or that modal verb in one of its meanings can't form the past tense; in another meaning it is used only with a negative; in still another meaning it can't form a question or, on the contrary, is used only in the form of a question. The meanings of modal verbs are created by the context and by the grammatical structures in which they are used. If the context is not clear enough, it may be difficult to understand in which meaning a modal verb is used.
The meanings of modal verbs are a little difficult to single out and define clearly (especially if we try to define them in Ukrainian). For example, when speaking about the main meaning of the verb can, some linguists use the words "ability, possibility", others speak about "physical and mental ability", still others