Modal Meaning Review
Adapted from: http://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Modal-Auxiliary-Verbs.htm
Will:
“Will” is used to indicate the future, or volunteering to do something in the future. The
negative of will is “will not” or the contraction “won’t”
Would:
“Would” has several functions. First, it functions as the past tense of “will”.
Second, it functions as the conditional mood of “will”. Third, it is used to be polite. The
negative of “would” is “would not” or the contraction “wouldn’t”.
Shall:
“Shall” is to express a future action. It is different than “will” in that it is used to express
an order or prophecy. The negative of shall is “shall not” or the contraction “shan’t”.
Should:
“Should” is used to express an opinion or the ideal action which happens in the past,
present, or future. The negative form is “should not” or the contraction “shouldn’t”.
Ought to:
“Ought to” is used to express the ideal action. The negative form is “ought not” or the
contraction “oughtn’t”.
Had better:
“Had better” is used in the same way as “ought”. The negative form is “had better not”.
Must:
“Must” has two functions. First it expresses a strong belief that is based on logic (logical
conclusion), not fact. Second, it expresses an obligation that comes from oneself. The
negative form is “must not” or the contraction “mustn’t”, which means that something is
prohibited.
Have to:
“Have to” has several functions. First it expresses a strong belief that is based on logic,
not fact. Second, it expresses an obligation that is external (coming from your boss, the
law, an authority). The negative of have is “do not have to”, which means that
something is optional. It does NOT mean that something is prohibited.
May:
“May” is used to express permission or possibility. The negative of “may” is “may not”.
Might:
“Might” is used to express possibility. The negative of form is “might not”
Can:
“Can” is used to express ability, willingness, permission, or possibility. The negative
form is “cannot” or the contraction “can’t”.
Could:
“Could” has at least three functions. First, it can replace “can” and give the phrase a
more conditional tone. Second, it can function as the past tense of “can”. Third, it can
function in the same way as “might” or “may”, suggesting that something is a
possibility. The negative form is “could not” or the contraction “couldn’t”.