Реферат на тему Modal verbs and other means of expressing modality

Содержание:

1. MODAL VERBS 4
1.1 Can, could, to be able to 4
1.2 May, might 6
1.3 Must 8
1.4 To have to, have got to 9
1.5 To be to, ought to 10
1.6 Need, dare 11
1.7 Shall, should 12
1.8 Will, would 13
2. MODAL WORDS 15
3. THE CATEGORY OF MOOD 16
CONCLUSION 18
RFERENCES: 19

Введение:

Modality is expression of speaker’s attitude to what his utterance denotes. The speaker’s judgment may be of different kinds, that is, the speaker may express various modal meanings. Modal verbs unlike other verbs, 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.
The modal verbs may show that the action (or state, of process, or quality) is viewed by the speaker as possible, obligatory, doubtful, certain, permissible, advisable, requested, prohibited, ordered etc. Modal verbs occur only with the infinitive.
The aim of this work is to show how modal verbs can be used, in what case we need one or other verb and why.
To achieve this aim, the following specific tasks need to be issued:
— Set the possible options for the expression of categories of modality.
— Characterize the most frequently used model verbs.
— Describe other means of expressing modality in the English language.
The relevance of the work lies in the fact that today in linguistics there are different opinions on the issue of the status of the functional-semantic category of modality and the basic means of its expression;
The object of this research is the category of modality and the main means of its expression in the English language. The purpose and objectives of the study.
The subject of study is modal verbs and other means of expressing modality.
The theoretical significance of the work lies in the fact that the results of the study can be useful in learning English
Practical significance: the main provisions of the thesis will be useful in the development of a number of issues of theoretical grammar of the English language.

Заключение:

Modality – is a multifold phenomenon, and therefore in the linguistic literature we can find different thoughts concerning the essence of this phenomenon. Modality (from Latin modus – measure, method, shape) in different object domains is a category which characterizes modus operandi or an attitude toward the action.
The speaker’s attitude towards the action if the sentence may be expressed in different ways:
1) By one of the mood forms that serve to show whether the action is represented as a real fact of as problematic, or unreal, this form of expression is found in every sentence because it is indispensable to predication.
2) By modal verbs which represent an action as necessary or unnecessary, possible or impossible, certain of doubtful and the like. But modal verbs need not be used in every sentence and are, therefore, to be regarded as an additional means of expressing the speaker’s attitude towards the action in the sentence.
3) By attitudinal adverbs such as certainly, perhaps, probably, luckily, unfortunately, etc. They express different degrees of certainty on the part of the speaker of the desirability of the action from his point of view.
In other words, modality is a category of linguistic meaning having to do with the expression of possibility and necessity. It is a grammatical-semantic category, which expresses the speaker’s attitude towards the expression, his evaluation of the attitude contributed towards objective reality.
Speaker’s evaluation of the content of the utterance is expressed with the help of modal verbs and other modal words, as well as the evaluation of the situation in the utterance from the point of view of its possibility, necessity and desirability.

Фрагмент текста работы:

1. MODAL VERBS

Modal verbs, unlike other verbs, do not denote actions to 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. Thus 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, ordered, etc. Modal verbs occur only with the infinitive. This or that meaning is to a great degree determined by the comminicative type of the sentence and the form of the infinitive.
There are 12 modal verbs in English. They are: can, may, must, should ought, shall, will, would, need, dare, to be, to have (to have got). The latter two are modal only in one of their meanings.
Ten of them (that is, all but to be and to have) are also called defective or anomalous verbs as they lack some features characteristic of other verbs, that is:
1) they do not take -s in the third person singular;
2) they have no verbals, so they have no analytical forms;
3) they have (except for can and may) only one form and no past tense;
4) they are followed (except for ought) by a bare infinitive (that is by the infinitive without the particle to);
5) they need no auxiliary to build up the interrogative and negative forms.
All modal verbs have 2 negative forms, full and contracted. Some of them have peculiarities both in spelling and pronunciation: cannot, can’t [ka:nt], won’t [wount]

1.1 Can, could, to be able to
This modal verb has two forms: can — for the present tense and could — for the past tense and for the subjunctive mood.
I can’t dance now but I could when I was young.
I wish I could go with you.
I. Can followed by the non-perfect common aspect infinitive expresses:
1. Physical and mental ability or capacity. The notion of ability is also expressed by “to be able to”.
The meaning of ability is expressed only by “to be able to” when the reference is to the future, as can, having no infinitive, has no future tense form.
Soon he will be able to speak English quite fluently.
But only to be able to is used to express attainment or achievement of something through some capacity. Thus to be able to often combines the idea of “ability” and “achievement”. In this case was able to means “managed to” or “succeeded in”, and could is impossible.
2. Possibility.
a) possibility due to circumstances:
b) possibility due to the existing rules of laws:
c) possibility of the idea (the so-called “theoretical” possibility):
In general statements of possibility can has roughly the same meaning as “sometimes”.
3. Permission.
4. Prohibition (it is found only with the negative form of the modal verb, as prohibition may be understood as the negation of permission — not to be allowed to…). It corresponds to the Russian нельзя, не надо.
5. Request.
II. Can followed by any form of the infinitive may express:
1. Strong doubt, improbability, incredulity. This meaning occurs only with the negative form of the modal verb + perfect infinitive, continuous infinitive, or be.
Could is used instead of can to express greater doubt. Thus the difference between can and could is in the degree of expressiveness, could showing a greater degree of doubt or incredulity. The time-reference is indicated not by the form of the verb but by that of the infinitive.