SUMMARY OF MODAL VERB FUNCTIONS

We have identified three general categories of meaning for modal verbs, which may be seen to be related systematically. These are:(1) intrinsic modality - influences concerning degree of obligation, duty, necessity, permission and responsibility; (2) extrinsic modality - knowledge as to the likelihood of an event occurring; (3) time modality - time reference from moment of speaking. This can be shown systematically as follows, where "I" represents intrinsic modality, "E" extrinsic modality, and "T" time reference:-

Some of the ways in which this system is realised in particular modal verbs can then be shown in a similar way. Although the three categories of meaning are shown as distinct, in practice, there are areas of overlap where particular instances of use may combine more than one or all of these aspects of meaning.

* The notion of ability is treated by some grammarians as a special instance of possibility. Thus in the above example "he can play the guitar" means "he has the ability to play the guitar". However, this sort of ability (i.e. a skill) may also be interpreted as an inherent property, and hence having more in common with with intrinsic modality than extrinsic. In practice, both areas of meaning would seem to be involved. Note the ability/possibility contrast of meaning in the following:(i) She can walk on her own now. (ability) (ii) She can walk to school because it's quite near.(possibility)

* There is a special relationship between NEED and MUST, in that the absence of compulsion is expressed by NEEDN'T and not MUSTN'T.
e.g. You needn't have a licence.

* The functional analysis for WILL / SHALL above is considerably simplified, and there is no definite distinction between prediction and time reference. The two functions may be said to cohere rather than be distinguishable.

* DARE is regarded as a marginal modal verb because of its restricted usage - either in negative polarity or in the idiomatic "I dare say..." form. However, both structurally and semantically it does function within the system of modality, although in a limited way. There are a number of modal verbs which signify past time. These are WOULD, SHOULD, COULD, MIGHT, and USED TO. The latter is only used to signify a habitual aspect in the past (we shall discuss the meaning of aspect later). We have seen also that COULD can also function with the meaning of CAN with past time reference, similarly as does NEEDED function as the past of NEED. The auxiliaries WOULD, SHOULD, COULD and MIGHT are also subject to further system of semantic function, similar to that which we saw operates for the past simple tense generally. These verbs thus also occur in politeness and hypothetical modes.

The foregoing discussion constitutes only a very simplified and partial representation of the systematic semantic relationships which exist between the modal verbs. In following sections we shall describe other related systems which operate at medial and final positions in the verbal group. But first we should consider the two other initial systems which remain to be described, polarity and emphasis.