Ирина Эланс

Автор который поможет с любыми образовательными и учебными заданиями

Must may and might compared

Contents

Introduction. What are Modal Verbs? What is Modality?…………………...2

Chapter I: Must, may and might compared

1.1. Formation of the modal conjugations……………………………...…….5

1.2.The Functions of Modal Verbs may, might and must………………...……..6

1.3. Uses of May and Might. Use of Must.……………….…...……...............9

1.4. May, Might and Must compared using….....……………………………11

1.5. How to Write Sentences Using Modal Verbs.…………………………..13

Chapter II: Practical comparison of modal verbs must, may and might

Exercises……………………………………………………………….…….16

Conclusion…………………………………………………………….……..30

References……………………………………………………………..……..31

Introduction.

What are Modal Verbs?

Most teachers are probably familiar with a list of modals similar to the one offered in Headway Intermediate: can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, and ought. Teachers would also probably agree with the explanation given by Headway, namely that these verbs are auxiliaries because “they ‘help’ another verb” (Soars and Soars, 1996: 146). For good measure, Headway tells students that “each modal has at least two meanings” (ibid.: 147). And this, too, jibes well with experience. After all, the must in You must be home by eleven or you’ll be grounded until Hell freezes over is undoubtedly different from the must in You must be Bob. It’s nice to meet you.

Most students become familiar with the most obvious formal characteristic of modal verbs, namely that there are:

The is no plural form (“s” form) for the third person singular.
There are no “ing” or “ed” forms.
Modals can be used with passive verbs.
Managers should be trained in order to properly perform their jobs.
Modals are used to express probability: will / must (100%), should (very certain), may / could (pretty certain), may / might (possible, not very certain), can’t / won’t (impossible)
The three most frequently used modals are would (28% of all modal occurrences), could (17%), and will (17%).
The past tense of must is had to (the same as the past tense of have to).
The future tense of must is will have to (the same as the future tense of have to).
The past tense of can is could.
Modals are always the first word in a verb group
When forming questions using modal verbs (or any auxiliary verb) we separate the modal verb from the main verb and move it to the front of the sentence Seher can go to school with her sister. (normal word order) Can Seher go to school with her sister? (question word order)
Will not is very strong; won’t is more common in spoken and informal English. Will not is used when you want to add emphasis to the fact that you refuse to do something. [13]

What is Modality?

These formal qualities do not address the second characteristic found in modals – meaning. The question of what we mean when we say that modals have meaning turns out to be quite a complex one. Palmer notes that modality is concerned with our opinions and attitudes, (1990), and most linguists accept the existence of at least two types of modality, with one more type needed in order to account for the auxiliaries given as a group in Headway. Modal, then, refers to the formal properties of a certain class of words, while modality refers to the meanings of those words (and others).

One type of modality, epistemic, is concerned with the speaker’s judgement of the truth of the proposition embedded in the statement. If I say, for example, John may go home, I am telling you that I am uncertain about the truth of the proposition John is going home. Other examples of epistemic modality are must in John must be home. Look there’s his car. and can’t in John can’t be home yet. His flight doesn’t arrive until 9 o’clock.

The second primary category of modality is deontic modality. Deontic modality is concerned with “influencing actions, states, or events” (Palmer, 1990: 6); in other words, it is oriented towards performing speech acts – doing things with words. When I say, John may go home now. to give John permission to leave, or when I advise, Elena should go home. She looks tired. I am using deontic modality.

These descriptions raise several considerations. The first is that I used the same modal, may, to give John permission to leave (deontic) and to tell my listener that I am not certain if John is leaving (epistemic), which may cause ambiguity (am I being benevolent or hazarding a guess as to John’s next step?). This ambiguity is found throughout the modal system (and not only in English) and is one of the reasons that classroom activities and exercises focusing on modality can be so difficult to develop.

The second consideration is that neither epistemic nor deontic modality accounts for can in John can play the pan flute. You may have noticed that both deontic and epistemic modality refer back to the speaker in some way. In deontic modality, the speaker does something such as giving permission or advice. With epistemic modality, the speaker comments on the probability of the truth of the proposition, perhaps saying that he is certain that it is false (can’t) or that it is reasonable to assume that it is true (should). But the can in John can play the pan flute does not seem to refer to the speaker; rather, it seems to refer to one of John’s abilities. Have to in They have to be in Rome for a meeting tomorrow is also an example of this subject-oriented modality, which is called dynamic modality. Dynamic modality plays an important part in considerations of have to, and its contrast with must.

Epistemically, there seems to be little difference between have to and must (he has to be home; there’s his car/he must be home; there’s his car), with both expressing a sense of certainty. Deontically, must obliges the subject of the sentence to do something (you must be home before 9 o’clock). Have to, on the other hand, does not have a strong deontic role. In dialects where must is rarely used deontically (such as many American dialects) the form for obliging someone to do something is often the imperative. In the realm of dynamic modality, however, the distinctions between must and have to create confusion. When an obligation is clearly speaker-oriented must is a clear choice. When an obligation is clearly external, the choice is have to. But there are many times when a situation is neither “clearly external” nor “clearly speaker-oriented” and here in this “neutral” area many native speakers use must and have to more or less indiscriminately (Palmer, 1990). [13]

Chapter I: Must, may and might compared

This research work was written for better understanding usage of the modal words. Fully appreciating and thinking deeply about the following rules help to speak and write English correctly.

I’m going investigate difference between using may, might and must in Modern English. I will do it in a way of explaining what is modal verbs and what is modality in general. I will show the formation of the sentences with modals and their meanings in them.

To complete all material I gave several exercises for practice.

1.1. Formation of the modal conjugations

The formation of conjugations using the modal auxiliaries can be summarized as follows:

Conjugation	Auxiliary	Verb Form
Simple	modal auxiliary	bare infinitive
Continuous	modal auxiliary + be	present participle
Perfect	modal auxiliary + have	past participle
Perfect Continuous	modal auxiliary + have been	present participle

Verbs in the Simple conjugation with a modal auxiliary generally refer to present or future time; whereas verbs in the Perfect conjugation with a modal auxiliary generally refer to past time.

Verbs in the Continuous conjugation with a modal auxiliary generally refer to continuous, ongoing actions in present or future time; whereas verbs in the Perfect Continuous conjugation with a modal auxiliary generally refer to continuous, ongoing actions in past time.[13]

Modal Perfect. We use the Modal Verb + the Past Perfect like this:

1. To speculate about events in the past. I wasn’t at the meeting, but it must have been very interesting.

2. To express an irritation about someone or something. You might have given me the file before I left.

3. To talk about missed opportunities. If she had stayed in school she might have been a brilliant scientist.

4. To make an hypotheses about the past. (Compare this with 2^nd Conditionals.) If you had been with us we must have sold more advertisements.

5. To criticize. Your paperwork must have been finished much earlier. [8]

1.2. The Functions of Modal Verbs may, might and must.

Modal auxiliaries generally express a speaker's attitudes, or 'moods'. In addition, they can convey the strength of these attitudes.

Each modal has more than one meaning or use.

May and Might:

May and might sometimes have virtually the same meaning; they are used to talk about possibilities in the past, present or future. ("Could" is also sometimes used).
May is sometimes a little bit "more sure" (50% chance); whereas might expresses more doubt (maybe only a 30% chance).

May and might are used, then, for:

Talking about the present or future with uncertainty

She may be back in her office: the lecture finished ten minutes ago.

I may go shopping tonight, I haven't decided yet.

England might win the World Cup, you never know.

Talking about the past with uncertainty

I'm surprised he failed. I suppose he might have been ill on the day of the exam.

They can also sometimes be used for talking about permission, but usually only in formal situations. [8]

Instead of saying May I open a window? we would say Is it all right/OK if I open a window? or Can I open a window? for example. You might, however, see: Students may not borrow equipment without written permission.

Possibility of the fact (the so-called “factual possibility”). This meaning only in affirmative sentences.

You may find all the books you want in the National Library. (It is possible that you will find…) The railways might be improved. (It is possible that the railways will be improved.)

Prohibition (only with the negative form of the modal verb).

You may not go swimming. (You are not allowed to…)

You may not enter the room until I say so.

The contracted form mayn’t is also very rare.[8]

There are other ways of expressing the idea of prohibition which are more common. They are mustn’t, can’t and don’t. Mustn’t and can’t are often fond in negative answers to express prohibition instead of may not.

Reproach. This meaning is found only in positive statements and only with the forms might as it is a reproach made about something that has not been done and thus implies some unfulfilled action.

You might at least offer to help.[8]

In combination with the perfect infinitive it renders irritation (annoyance) that the action was not carried out.

You might have opened the door for me. [7]

May

Talking about things that can happen in certain situations

If the monitors are used in poorly lit places, some users may experience headaches.

Each nurse may be responsible for up to twenty patients.

With a similar meaning to although

The experiment may have been a success, but there is still a lot of work to be done. (= Although it was a success, there is still ...)

Might

Saying that something was possible, but did not actually happen

You saw me standing at the bus stop! You might have stopped and given me a lift!

Must

Examples here refer to British English; there is some variation in American English.

Necessity and obligation
Must is often used to indicate 'personal' obligation; what you think you yourself or other people/things must do. If the obligation comes from outside (e.g. a rule or law), then have to is often (but not always) preferred:

I really must get some exercise.
People must try to be more tolerant of each other.
You mustn't look - promise?
If you own a car, you have to pay an annual road tax.

Strong advice and invitations

I think you really must make more of an effort.
You must go and see the film - it's brilliant.
You must come and see me next time you're in town.

Saying you think something is certain

This must be the place - there's a white car parked outside.
You must be mad.
What a suntan! You must have had great weather.

The negative is expresses by can't [13]

You're going to sell your guitar! You can't be serious!
She didn't wave - she can't have seen me.

The combination of must with the Perfect Continuous infinitive indicates an action begun in the past and continued into the moment of speaking.

E.g. It must have been raining all the night. There are big puddles in the garten.

However, if must is followed by a stative verb, the Perfect infinitive is used.

E.g. He must have been here since breakfast.

He must have known it along. [5]

This confusion with the using these verbs is often because the learner originally learned the modal within the context of producing sentences in one of these moods, and have attached too firmly that meaning to the word. To get out of this rut, memorize the above list, and when you hear a modal used in a slightly strange way, try to put it in one of the above categories.

When talking to someone, if you cannot decide from the context which 'mood' a modal they use is meant to convey, ask the person. That's where having memorized the above list comes in handy. Here's how you might want to phase the question if you can't tell if a speaker is using "can" to mean ability or permission:

"Do you mean you are able to swim or that it is permitted?"

If you are brave enough to do this regularly, you will soon learn which contexts signal which meaning and then you will rarely have to ask such questions. [9]

1.3. Uses of May and Might

Two of the more troublesome modal auxiliaries are may and might. When used in the context of granting or seeking permission, might is the past tense of may. Might is considerably more tentative than may.

May I leave class early?

If I've finished all my work and I'm really quiet, might I leave early?

In the context of expressing possibility, may and might are interchangeable present and future forms and might + have + past participle is the past form:

She might be my advisor next semester.

She may be my advisor next semester.

She might have advised me not to take biology.

Avoid confusing the sense of possibility in may with the implication of might, that a hypothetical situation has not in fact occurred. For instance, let's say there's been a helicopter crash at the airport. In his initial report, before all the facts are gathered, a newscaster could say that the pilot "may have been injured." After we discover that the pilot is in fact all right, the newscaster can now say that the pilot "might have been injured" because it is a hypothetical situation that has not occurred. Another example: a body had been identified after much work by a detective. It was reported that "without this painstaking work, the body may have remained unidentified." Since the body was, in fact, identified, might is clearly called for. [10]

Use of Must

In general, must expresses personal obligation. Must expresses what the speaker thinks is necessary. Must is subjective. Look at these examples:

I must stop smoking.
You must visit us soon.
He must work harder.

In each of the above cases, the "obligation" is the opinion or idea of the person speaking. In fact, it is not a real obligation. It is not imposed from outside.

It is sometimes possible to use must for real obligation, for example a rule or a law. But generally we use have to for this.

We can use must to talk about the present or the future. Look at these examples:

I must go now. (present)
I must call my mother tomorrow. (future)

We cannot use must to talk about the past. We use have to to talk about the past.[12]

1.4. May, Might and Must compared using

One of the meanings of may and might is to be allowed to.
e.g. The members of the organization agree that I may join it.
The members of the organization agreed that I might join it.[11]
The auxiliary must is a stronger form of may and might. One of the meanings of must is to be obliged to or to have to.
e.g. You must provide proper identification in order to cash a check.
They must work harder if they are to succeed.

It should be noted that the meaning of must not is to be obliged not to.
e.g. You must not leave.
He must not speak.

The first example has the meaning, You must stay. The second example has the meaning, He must be silent.

In order to express the idea of not being obliged to do something, an expression such as not to be obliged to or not to have to is generally used.
e.g. You do not have to leave.
He is not obliged to speak.[11]

The first example has the meaning, You may stay, if you wish. The second example has the meaning, He may be silent, if he wishes.
Like could and would, might can be used in polite requests and suggestions. The auxiliaries could, would and might can be used to express differing degrees of politeness:

Degree of Politeness	Auxiliary
somewhat polite	could
quite polite	would
very polite	might

Thus, might expresses the highest degree of politeness.
e.g. Might I observe what you are doing?
Might I offer some advice?[11]
May, might and must are also used to express differing degrees of probability:

Degree of Probability	Auxiliary
somewhat probable	may, might
highly probable	must

For instance, may and might are often used in the Simple conjugation to express the idea that an event is somewhat probable.
e.g. You might be right.
It may snow later this afternoon.

Similarly, must can be used in the Simple conjugation to express the idea that an event is highly probable.
e.g. He must be mistaken.
In the following examples, the Perfect conjugations with may, might and must are used to express differing degrees of probability relating to past events.
Rupert might have taken the money, but it seems unlikely.
It is possible he may have called while we were out.
It must have rained last night, because the streets are wet. [11]

The following is the table of the main using of the may, might and must.

May	May I have another piece of toast, please? Iraq may become a democratic society some day.	Politely asking permission Future possibility
Might	If we go to the park we might see our friends	Future possibility
Must	We must wear a safety belt when we are in the car. We mustn’t go in there because the sign says “Do Not Enter.”	Necessity or obligation (self-imposed) Prohibition

[13]

1.5. How to Write Sentences Using Modal Verbs:

Subject + modal + second verb. (Never add -s, -es, -ed, or -ing to the second verb.)

I + can + sleep~~ing~~ six hours tonight.
I + couldn't + worked last night.


permission	Can/May I have another piece of cake, Dad? (request) You can/may leave at 5:30 if you like. Might I have a word with you? (BrI) (formal request)	Can is commonly used to ask for or give permission. May is more formal. Could and might are used to ask for (not to give) permission.

possibility	She may/might (not) go to Paris tomorrow They may/might (not) be meeting her. Joe may have/might have missed the train.	Could suggests that something is less likely than may or might.

certainty	Joe must be at least 45. I'm sure he's at least 45. He must have graduated years ago. I'm sure he graduated years ago. We can't have been at college together. I'm sure we weren't at college together.	Must have is the past form of must when it is used to express certainty. Must and must have express stronger certainty than will and will have.

obligation, requirement	You must finish this job by tomorrow. I must phone my parents tonight. He had to finish the job by the next day. You must not smoke in the cinema. (= it is forbidden)	Had to is the past form of must when it is used to express obligation. Must not is used to show that there is an obligation not to do something. The contracted forms mustn't are common in British English but rarely used in American English.

[From Longman's Dictionary of Contemporary English, New Edition, 1991, pp 669-671. ]

From this table we can see that there are a lot of deferent meanings that can be expressed by modals. Some meanings could be emphasized by different modals but even taking this into consideration we must take care about tune of the conversation, vertical or horizontal dialog even mood of a person

So, the first task before saying something is to think about meaning of the saying.

To find a clear line between uses of different modals is not an easy task. The main thing to chose the right modal is to understand the meaning of the utterance.

So, speaking generally, both may and serve to express supposition but their use is not parallel. May denotes supposition implying uncertainty whereas the supposition expressed by must implies strong probability.

May and must are used to express prohibition in negative sentences. But may is seldom found in negative answers to question with may asking for permission we generally find must not or cannot.

Chapter II: Practical comparison of modal verbs must, may and might

EXERCISES

For better understanding the using of the may, might and must one should made the exercises. The examples of them see below.

1. Change the following affirmative statements into negative questions. Do not use contractions in this exercise. [9]

For example:
He must be at work now.
Must he not be at work now?
They might call us later.
Might they not call us later?
1. You might be wearing a warm hat.
2. He might have decided to stay at home.
3. They might have forgotten the message.
4. She must see you again to decide this problem.
5. They may enjoy riding on the ferry.
6. He may decide to go camping.
7. They must have been playing football yesterday.
8. We might visit our friends.
9. She must have wanted to join us.
10. He must be getting more sleep.

2. For each of the following sentences, change the verb in the main clause from the Simple Present to the Simple Past; and change the modal auxiliary from the present to the past. [9]

For example:
He asks if he may do it.
He asked if he might do it.
Do you think she must manage it?
Did you think she had to manage it?

1.She says he may go.
2. The boss says we must finish on time.
3. They know we may help them.
4. He says he must leave.
5. We believe she may be there.
6. Do you hope they will reply soon?
7. Does he not realize we may meet him there?
8. You think we can reach our destination by nightfall.
9. I suppose he must be at home.
10. I predict I must be succeed.

3. Literary Translation [7]

Я дивилась на незнайомця. Не може бути, щоб ми коли-небудь зустрічались. Його можна було б прийняти за іспанця, якщо б не блідість обличчя. Невже він брат Сібілли? Він, звичайно, не може належати ло цієї родини.

- Ви могли б люб’язно провести мене до кімнати?- посміхаючись сказав він. Я зуміла зобразити ввічливу посмішку.

- Звичайно. Можу я Вам допомогти відчути себе як вдома?

- Дякую, але не можете. Адже вам не можна розмовляти з чужими. Я прекрасно обійдусь сам.

4. Fill in the blanks, indicating whether each of the following sentences is somewhat polite (S), quite polite (Q), or very polite (V). Notice the indirect phrasing of the most polite requests and suggestions. [9]

For example:
Could you pass the butter? S
Would you please pass the butter? Q
Might I trouble you to pass the butter? V

1. Could you help me? ___
2. Would you like some help? ___
3. Might I be of assistance? ___
4. You could come with us. ___
5. You might wish to accompany us. ___
6. Would you like to come with us? ___
7. Might I trouble you for two pounds of fish? ___
8. I would like to buy two pounds of fish, please. ___
9. Could you give me two pounds of fish? ___
10. Could I have your opinion on this? ___
11. Would you please tell me what you think? ___
12. Might I know your feelings on the matter? ___

5. Complete each of the following sentences with the auxiliary may, might or must. Use may or might when the event described seems somewhat probable, and use must when the event described seems very probable. [10]

For example:
You ___ be right; we shall have to wait and see.
You may be right; we shall have to wait and see. or You might be right; we shall have to wait and see.

That ____ be our landlord; I would recognize him anywhere.
That must be our landlord; I would recognize him anywhere.

1. Although it _________ be true, it seems unlikely.
2. That _________ have been the number 10 bus, because no other bus runs on this street.
3. We __________ have to wait a long time for a bus, because they do not run very frequently.
4. That ________ be the right answer; there is no other possibility.
5. Tell me your problem; I _________ be able to help you.
6. It _________ have been he who answered the phone, because no one else was at home.
7. Since we have never been to this store before, we _________ have difficulty finding what we want.
8. You _________ be pleased that you are doing so well in your new job.
9. I _________ go downtown tomorrow; it depends on the weather.
10. Although he is a very careful worker, it is possible that he _________ have made a mistake.

6. Fill in the spaces with the right modal verbs.
Example: I ________ speak English very fluently. (key = can) [19]

1.	You run faster if you weren't so lazy.
2.	You leave the class before 1 o'clock.
3.	You behave well in front of guests. Stop being silly.
4.	You look tired. You have some sleep.
5.	You failed in your final test. You have studied harder.
6.	I borrow your pen?
7.	We watch TV so much.
8.	We not climb those mountains when we were kids.
9.	The project finish in two years time.
10.	Stop smoking! You really not smoke.
11.	Sami lift that heavy table. He is too weak.
12.	Muneera come to the party, but nobody is sure.
13.	Laila not swim when she was one year old.
14.	It's too cold. I close the window.
15.	It rain in the desert sometimes, but you can't depend on it.
16.	If I had enough money, I travel with my friends but now I can't.
17.	I to study well for the exam.
18.	I wish I buy a new car but i do not have any money.
19.	I have no time. I leave now. My parents are waiting for me.
20.	He be friendly, but he is usually unfriendly.

7. Literary translation [7]

Я, мабуть, запізнився хвилин на десять. Підходячи до дверей кабінету м-ра Моргана, я хвилювався, чи зможе він мене прийняти, і тому не помітив записки: „Не заважати!” Я майже вже підняв руку, щоб постукати, але почув чиїсь голоси.

Може, він зовсім не прийде, - сказав хтось.
Він не може не прийти. Це обов’язково, і він знає про це,- відповів інший. (Мова, мабуть, йшла про мене.)- Мабуть, просто затримався десь.

Я знав одного із співрозмовників. Це був мій вітчим. Але що б це він міг робити так рано у кабінеті приїжджого? Мабуть, вони зустрічатись раніше. Але де? Я наважився постукати. Відійшовши тихенько від дверей, я пішов навмисне так лунко, щоб вони могли почути мої кроки, і постукав.

- Увійдіть!- Мр.Морган сидів один у кабінеті, заваленому купою паперів. – Вам, мабуть, не казали, синку, що слід приходити вчасно,- пробуркотів він, не підводячи голови.

Я оглянув кімнату. Куди ж міг подітися мій вітчим? У кабінеті навіть заховатися не було де.

8.Use must, might, may, could or can't plus the correct form of the verb. [21]

Where is David? He___(be) at school. Classes begin at 8.
She ___(think) that it is a good idea. It's crazy!
I'm absolutley sure!. They____(arrive) yesterday, I saw their ticket.
Courses____(begin) the fifth of September.
Are you joking! David____(go) to Paris last week. He doesn't have enough money.
They ________(live) in New York, but I'm not sure.
The concert _____(be) wonderful last night. Fiore is a great conductor.

Have to, Must, Must not Quiz [24]

Yesterday I___ finish my Geography project.
She ___ wait in line like everyone else.
All employees___ wait in line like everyone else.
We___ forget to take the chicken out of the freezer.
If you are under 13 you___ to get your parents' permission.
Your daughter may___ try on a few different sizes.
The doctor___ get here as soon as he can.
Do you___ work next weekend?
Bicyclists___ remember to signal when they turn.
Angela, you___ leave your clothes all over the floor like this.

10. Read this with a dictionary; see how must reflects the hearer’s wishes.[7]

(In a dream? Mrs.Ogmore-Pritchard is talking to her two dead husbands, Mr.Ogmore and Mr.Pritchard.)

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