Group 5 KT3A3

GRAMMAR

Modal verb (2) probability So do I! Neither do I!

Function of Modal Verbs

The modal verbs are: can, could, must, may, might, will, etc. They have the same form in all people. They come before the subject in question and take not after them in negations. They take an infinitive without to after them. Eg: Can she play tennis? No, she cant play tennis but she can play golf.

1. We express ability with:

Can ( ability in the present or future) - Can you swim? - No, I cant. I can run fast though.

Could ( ability in the past for repeated actions)

She could dance for hours when she was young. I couldnt find my keys. (single action) He couldnt ski when he was young. ( repeated action)

Couldnt ( for repeated or single actions)

Can is the Present Simple and could is the Past Simple. Can borrows the rest of it tenses from the verb phrase be able to Eg. She hasnt been able to finish it yet.

2. We express possibility/ probability with:

Modal Verbs
May ( = possible) Might ( = possible) Could ( = very possible) Must ( Its almost certain; I think) Cant ( It does not seem possible; I dont think) Can he be? ( Is it possible?)
( Its possible)

Example
He may be back before noon. There might be some cheese in fridge. ( Its possible) He could still be at home ( Its very
possible)

They look alike. They must be twins.

( I think they are twins)

You have been sleeping all day. You cant be tired. ( I dont think its
possible that youre tired) ( Is it possible?)

Can he still be at work?

The percentage of possibility of these modal verbs decreases as: must > can > could > may > might.

Although might is the past form of may and could is the past form of can, they can be used for present situations too.

Eg.

Ask about possibilities

To ask about possibility we usually use: Do you think?
Eg. - Do you think they will win the race?

They might fall.

- Do you think she is ready? She can answer your questions. - What do you think the weather will be like tomorrow? It may be sunny.

NOTE: We use will and wont when we are very sure: Eg. Shell be at work now. We use the modal might (you can also use may or could) because they show that we are not 100% sure about what happened. We are speculating about past events (guessing what we think happened). We then must use have followed by a past participle verb. We use 'must' when we have a stronger opinion about what happened.

Eg. Looking out of your window in the morning, you notice that all the flowers in your garden are missing. What happened? You take a guess at it: "A rabbit might have eaten all my flowers." Let's take a look at that form. might (modal) + have + eaten (past participle verb) Here are some other examples: "My neighbor could have stolen the flowers" "The wind might have blown them all away."

3. We express permission with:

(asking for permission) Can ( informal) Could ( more polite) May ( formal) Might ( more formal) Can I borrow your pen? Could I borrow your car? May I use your phone? Might I see your driving license, please?

( giving/refusing permission) Can ( informal, giving permission) You can have one more if you want. May ( formal, giving permission) You may stay a little longer. Mustnt ( refusing permission) You mustnt park here. Cant ( refusing permission) You cant enter this room.

Eg.

4. We make requests, offers or suggestions with:

Eg. Can (request) Could (polite request/suggestion) Will (offer/request)

Can you help me tidy the room?

Could I have a little more cake please?

Ill make you some coffee if you want.

(friendly offer)

Will you do me a favor?

(friendly request)

Eg.

SO DO I! NEITHER DO I!
Neither have I. I didnt have time for breakfast
So I am. I havent eaten anything all day

Im hungry.

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1.To agree with a positive statement We use so + auxiliary verb + pronoun If there is no auxiliary verb, use do/does/did.

So can I.

I can ride a bicycle.

2.To agree with a negative statement We use nor/neither + auxiliary verb + pronoun If there is no auxiliary verb, use do/does/did.

I dont like tea with sugar. I cant remember his name.

Nor do I

Neither can I.

3.To disagree with a positive statement We use pronoun + auxiliary verb + not If there is no auxiliary verb, use do/does/did.

A: I like listening to music.

A: I can sing an English song.

B: I dont

B: I cant

4.To disagree with a negative statement We use pronoun + auxiliary verb If there is no auxiliary verb, use do/does/did.

Eg: - A: I cant swim. B: I can. - A: I didnt go out yesterday. B: I did.

Note
1. So do I/ I do, too shows agreement with a positive verb form. Neither do I / I dont either shows agreement with a negative verb form. Eg: If Person A likes pop music but Person B doesn't like pop music. We do not express it like this: A: I like pop music. B: Neither do I. Neither do I is used to show agreement with a negative verb statement: A: I don't like chocolate. B: Neither do I.

Note
2.There are several ways that we can show similarities between ourselves and the people: A: I like tennis. B: Me too / So do I / I do, too. A: I dont like baseball. B: Me neither / Neither do I / I dont either. So do I = I do, too. So was I = I was, too. Neither do I = I dont, either