Modal auxiliary verbs are used to express possibility, necessity, permission, ability, or willingness.
Modal auxiliary verbs are a special category of verbs that help convey different shades of meaning in a sentence. They express various ideas such as possibility, necessity, permission, ability, or willingness. Let's look at each of these uses with examples:
i. Possibility
- She might arrive late.
- It could rain later.
- They may accept our offer.
ii. Necessity
- You must finish your homework before going out.
- We should leave early to avoid traffic.
- He has to attend the meeting tomorrow.
iii. Permission
- Can I borrow your pen?
- You may leave the room now.
- Could I use your phone?
iv. Ability
- She can speak three languages fluently.
- He could swim when he was five.
- They might solve the problem easily.
v. Willingness
- I will help you with your project.
- She would like to join us for dinner.
- They might consider our proposal.