The process of analysis of usage of modal verbs in the English literature - Контрольная работа

Introduction My course work deals with the forms and functions of modal verbs. It is very important to realize that modal verbs play a decisive role in the English language. They do not denote actions or states, but only show the attitude of the speaker towards the action expressed by the infinitive in combination with which they form compound modal predicates. These modal verbs may show that the action (or state, or process, or quality) is viewed by the speaker as possible, obligatory, doubtful, certain, permissible, advisable, requested, prohibited or ordered. We can’t use them as “to”- infinitives: to go, to speak. 2. We don’t use the “to” - infinitives after modals, except the modal verb ought to: You mustn’t phone now. It’s late. I ought to help him. 3. There is no -(e)s in the 3rd person singular: The boss can see you now. Modal verb is never used alone as the predicate of a sentence, but is always combined with an infinitive forming a modal compound verbal predicate. The infinitive expresses the main idea of the predication, the modal verb has only modal function, that is, indicates that the action denoted by the infinitive is considered as desirable, possible, doubtful, etc. Modal verbs have no inflexions in the third person singular because their Present tense was originally a past and the Past tense had no inflexions in the third person singular. That’s why these verbs are called preteritive presents. The absence of the s-inflexion in the verbs will and ought has another explanation: these forms originated from the old subjunctive where the verb had no inflexion in the third person singular. Because of the absence of the inflexion in the third person singular of the Indicative mood, in these verbs Subjunctive I does not differ from the Indicative. Modal verbs have also no Imperative mood. Modality and tense are so intervened that in English it is hardly possible to combine them as single variable. Some verbs function both as tense-auxiliaries and as modals. It is therefore of primary importance to see them in contrast with each other as used in different grammatical frames. On different linguistic occasions a modal verb may perform three different functions: a) it may be used in its original sense; b) it may do the duty of a purely auxiliary in analytical verbal forms correlated with the corresponding simple ones within the limits of a given grammatical category(The Future Tense and the Subjunctive Mood); c) it may weaken its lexical meaning when used in modal phrases expression supposition, certainty or uncertainty as to the action expressed by the notional verb. The analysis of modal verbs is made rather difficult by other factors. The point is that their past tense-forms do not often refer to past time at all. Such are the verbs can and may, shall and will, for instance, which are not easily defined in formal terms of grammar learning. Morphologically they have the Present and the Past tense-forms, but in modal phrases they are not regularly used to mark time relations. Moreover, to indicate past time does not seem to be their main function. The modal verbs are: can (could), may(might), must, should, ought, shall, will, would, need, dare.