home » Hats » Modal verb Shall in English. Modal verbs

Modal verb Shall in English. Modal verbs

IN English language There are two modal verbs that are different from the others in their own way. We are talking about will and shall - two grammatical structures that can have the status of not only modals. The fact is that their use, as is known, is possible not only in a modal meaning; they are often used as future auxiliary verbs. Therefore, it is worth determining in what meanings shall or will is used as a modal, and what functions each carries. modal verb.

Main characteristics of the modal verb shall

As already mentioned, this verb was never a pure modal. However, it does have a number of specific grammatical characteristics that are inherent to these words. So, this verb cannot be followed by full, but only bare (without to). In addition, the infinitive form itself can only be Indefinite, which in many ways distinguishes it from most modal verbs. Naturally, the ending –s is not used with it. There is also a structure for it in Past –, which, as you know, has developed into a separate modal.

The difference between the modal shall and the auxiliary is also that in tense the Future auxiliary verb, as is known, depends on the person. This means that shall or will must be used depending on what the subject is: in the first person – shall. But this rule does not work with a modal verb, and modal in certain functions is used with by different persons.

Interrogative sentences

Regardless of whether our verb is modal or auxiliary in the future tense, in questions it always comes first:

Shall I help you? –To me help you?
Shall we finish the work right now? – Should we finish work right now?

The negative form is formed in a very standard way. The particle not comes to the rescue, which is placed after the verb – shall not. In addition, abbreviated forms are often used in negations. The abbreviation looks like shan’t:

I shall not participate in this affair –I Not I'll accept participation V this in fact

Functions in a sentence

Even though a given verb can be used with different persons, the form of the subject still matters, which is especially true when it comes to possible meanings:

1. Will, desire.

This function is characteristic only of the first person and is usually used in a formal style of speech:

We shall support all the wishes of our people –We let's support All desires our people

2. Interrogative sentences.

Characteristic only for the first and third person:

Shall I open the attic? –To me open attic?

3. Coercion, strict order.

Only second and third person are possible in this function:

You shall leave this house right now! – You will leave this house right now!

4. Threat or warning (also second and third parties):

Johnny! You shall be punished if you don’t stop doing it! –Johnny! You will be punished if you don't stop doing this

5. Promise (second and third parties):

Don't worry; they shall take you with them too –Not worry, They And you will take With yourself

6. Legal claims against a third party

A very rare function, which is similar in meaning to must:

The sheriff shall maintain order in his town– The sheriff must maintain order in his city

Main characteristics of the modal verb will

The verb will can also act as either an auxiliary or a modal verb. It has the same features as the previous verb. Differences can be found only in functions and in the fact that, being an auxiliary verb, the second and third persons are used with it, but not the first. In addition, there is a form will for the past tense - would, which over time acquired the status of an independent verb.

Interrogative sentences

There is no complexity in questions with will: it comes first, then the subject and the rest of the structure:

Will Jack come in? –Jack will come in?

Negations and short forms

Will not is a typical negation with this modal. The abbreviated form won’t is also quite common:

I will not take any measures –I Not Want accept no measures
We won ’ t drink tea or coffee. – We don’t want to drink tea or coffee.

In the meanings of this verb, the person is not so important. However, there are possible optimal options here:

1.Will, desire.

And here, unlike its predecessor, we are not talking about something lofty and formal. A typical translation is “to want”; Any person is used here, but the first one is most common:

I will tell you the truth –I want to tell you the truth

Note: this function is very often found if the sentence has an if conjunction. This situation should not be confused with conditional offer; here will retains its meaning “to want”:

She may take any drink if she will – SheMaybetakeanydrink, Ifwants

2. Persistence

on something that relates to the present or future and often reflects habits:

Don’ t ask me about it. – But I will ! - Don't ask me about it. - But I will still be there!

3. Expressing a polite offer to someone for something:

Will do you take a piece of cake? –Not want to whether a piece cake?

4. A guess or some kind of prediction,

which refers to the future:

Did you hear the doorbell? – Yes, it will be Brian –You heard call V door? – Yes, This will Brian

All these nuances will help determine what the main difference between shall and will is, as well as what points should be taken into account when using one or another modal. Their separation into two separate structures is important point grammar in the Modal Verbs section and can help in expressing certain emotions and states.

The verb should in English is used:

1. As an auxiliary verb:

a) for education verb forms Future in the Past (future in the past) in the 1st person singular and plural.

He said that I should rewrite
my essay.
He said I should rewrite my essay.

The dean insisted that you should take your exams before the 1st of June.
The dean insisted that you take the exam before June 1st.

The doctor ordered that all the students should go to the X ray room.
The doctor ordered all students to go to the x-ray room.

2. After the expressions it is necessary - necessary, it is better (important, natural, etc.) - better (important, naturally).

It is better that he should see everything with his own eyes.
It would be better for him to see (if he sees) everything with his own eyes.

It is important that she should hear it from you.
It's important that she hears it from you.

3. After impersonal phrases expressing a feeling of personal experience: it is strange - Weird, it is a pity - it's a pity, it is surprising - marvelous and etc.

It is strange that he should have refused to go on a scientific trip abroad.
It is strange that he refused a scientific trip abroad.

It is a pity that you should have forgotten about mother's birthday.
It's a pity that you forgot about your mother's birthday.

4. In exclamations beginning with question words: how - How,who- Who,why- Why.

How should you dress!
How do you dress?

Why shouldn't he tell me it before!
Why didn't he tell me this before!

5. In expressions in which advice is given or the speaker’s desire is expressed, such as: I should like - I would like, I should say - I think, I have to say, I should advise - I would recommend, I should prefer - I prefer, I should insist (on) - I would insist (on).

I should advise you to read this book.
I would advise you to read this book.

I should prefer to begin my work on Monday.
I would prefer to start work on Monday.

I should like you to be more polite with my parents.
I wished you would have been more polite to my parents.

Pay attention to the difference in the use of constructions

should + Indefinite and should + Perfect Infinitive

The construction should + Indefinite Infinitive has the meaning of the present or future tense and is translated into Russian by a construction expressed in the present or future tense.

You should go today (tomorrow).
You need to go today (tomorrow).

The construction should + Perfect Infinitive (should + have + 3rd form of the main verb) expresses an impossible action in the past:

You should have gone.
You should have left (but you didn't).

You should have stopped at the red lights.
You should have stopped at the red light (but you didn't).

He should have driven more carefully.
He should have (should have) driven more carefully (but he didn't).

6. Verb should It is used as a modal verb in the following cases:

a) to express obligation, necessity, moral duty, advice.

Unlike most modal verbs, shall and will combine not only the connotation of modality, but also the function of auxiliaries, which indicate the future tense.

In the process of language development, the original meanings of verbs were supplemented with a hint of the future tense. Yes, once upon a time shall was used to mean “should”, and will- "want". An echo of this continues today. So, there is an abstract noun will - “will, desire.” Much later, these verbs began to be used as future tense markers. As an auxiliary, shall was used with the first person, and will with all the others, although today it is used in all persons.

This is important to know:

Short formshan'tcharacteristic of British English. In American they usewon'tin all faces. Taking into account that American English is more widespread due to the influence of the mass media, it is not recommended to use this form to avoid mixing two competing variants.

Modal verb shall: use and meaning

Language is constantly transforming and developing. As a consequence, the modal verb shall in living colloquial speech almost never used. The exception is the situation when the speaker makes a proposal. For example:

Shall we help you? - Let us help you.
It’s too smoky, shall we go outside? “It’s very smoky in here, maybe it’s better to go out?”

It is interesting that in old texts shall occurs in the sense of a warning, threat or promise. The most striking example is Gandalf’s phrase from the Lord of the Rings trilogy:

You shall not pass! - You shall not pass!

Compared to the translation, the meaning of the phrase in the original is much richer precisely because of the modality of the verb. Note that it is used here in second person. In this meaning shall is found in song lyrics and literary works:

You shall never be afraid again! - Nobody will scare you anymore.
It is too dangerous. They shall loose there. - It's too dangerous. They will fail there.

The form shall indicates a strong probability and a strict obligation. It is easy to determine whether there is really modal knowledge here, or just an indication of the future tense. If shall is not in the first person, then you need to translate the phrase only from the position of modality. In other cases, it is determined by context. For example:

I shall go and see what can be done - I’ll go and see what can be done.
You shall apologize for your behavior - You must apologize for your behavior.

In the first case, there is a simple use of shall as a marker of the Future Simple, and in the second, there is a rigid obligation, which stands out intonationally in speech.

Unlike Russian, the word “should” in English has more than one equivalent. The verbs must, have to, to be to, should, shall can be used in this meaning. They differ in shades of meaning. For example, to be to is used to carry out a planned action or when executing an order, should o ought to - as a soft form, which is translated as “should” and has the meaning of advice.

Will as modal: features of use

As mentioned above, will initially had a clear modal meaning, which gradually became associated with the function of a future tense marker. They do not contradict each other, since the main meaning of will is intention. An example will help to clearly understand why the modality was so easily combined with the function of the future tense:

Don’t worry, I will be back as soon as I can - Don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as I can.
I will do it whatever you say. - I will do it, no matter what you say.

Thus, in both cases, the speaker’s intention to perform some action can be traced.

Another meaning is direct instruction and persistent imperative, that is, a command to do something. In this case, in addition to the emphasized use full form intonation emphasis of the modal verb is used for an emphatic effect.

They will help us even if to explain everything again. “They will have to help us, even if I have to explain everything again.”
You will go home and apologize - You will have to go home and apologize.

In addition, will can be used in formal orders when the orderer has a higher status than the interlocutor. Often used by teachers in relation to students, for example:

Will you two go out! - You two, get out of the audience!

Finally, will is used to describe a repeated action that the speaker does not approve of. Use of verb in in this case also stands out intonationally to enhance the meaningful part of the sentence. For example:

I am not surprised that you are bitten. You will pat all the dogs you see. “I’m not surprised you were bitten.” You constantly mess with all the dogs in the area.

Without context, determine whether to translate will be modal or not, it's practically impossible. Offer “I will go and see what happened” translated in two ways:

“I’ll go see what happened” and “I want to go see what happened”.

We continue to study modal verbs. Today you will learn all about the verb should. I want to remind you that you can only remember the rules in one case: when you use them. Be sure to complete the task after the article, and I will definitely check it.

In this article we will look at: in what situations we use this verb, schemes for the formation of all types of sentences and examples for them.

Rules for the use and translation of the verb should

The verb should is translated as “should/should”. However, this verb is not as strict as must. When we say should, the action does not require mandatory execution. It's more of a recommendation on what to do.

We use it in the following cases:

1. If we give advice to someone or ask for advice.
For example: You should start running in the morning.

He should go to this party tonight.
He should go to this party tonight.

What should Do I do this time?
What do I need (should) do this time?

2. If we want to tell you how to do something correctly.
For example: If you want to learn a language, you should study every day.

She should come on time.
She should be on time.

They should talk calmly to each other.
They should talk calmly to each other.

3. Used to say what would have been right or reasonable but was not done.
For example: You should have called the police.

You should have told Tom he was wrong.
You should have told Tom he was wrong.

We should have eaten something this morning.
We should have eaten something this morning.

4. Used in official orders, instructions and contracts.
For example: In case of fire, you should use the ladder.

Passengers should board the train now.
Passengers should board the train now.

Customers should pay for purchases at the checkout.
Customers must pay for their purchases at checkout.

Affirmative sentences with the verb should

To say that someone should do something, we simply put should after actor. The education scheme will be as follows:

The one in question + should + action

I
You
We		dance
They	should	write
She		cook
He
It

Examples:

You should look this word up in a dictionary.
You should look this word up in the dictionary.

They should stay at home today.
They should stay home today.

Negative sentences with the verb should

In negation, we say that someone should not do something. That is, these things are not right or reasonable.

Should does not require auxiliary verbs, not is added immediately to should. The education scheme will be like this:

The one in question + should + not + action

I
You
We			dance
They	should	not	write
She			cook
He
It

Examples:

She should don't go alone.
She shouldn't walk alone.

You should not break your promise.
You shouldn't break your promises.

Reduction:

When negated, we can shorten the particle not.
should + not = shouldn’t

Interrogative sentences with the verb should

When asking a question with should, we want to know whether we should do something. That is, we use this verb when we want to know someone's advice. Scheme for the formation of such a sentence:

Should + the person in question + action?

	I
	you
	we	dance?
Should	they	cook?
	she	write?
	he
	it

Examples:

Should I clean the room?
Should I clean my room?

Should she call him first?
Should she call him first?

When answering you can use should/shouldn"t:

Yes, you should.
Yes, you should.

No, you shouldn't’ t.
No, you shouldn't.

Or other appropriate expressions. For example:

You had better…
Do you feel better…

The best thing is to…
The best thing…

I think so.
I think yes.

Of course not!
Of course not.

No way!
In no case.

Interrogative sentences with clarifying words

To clarify any information, we use the following words:

What - what
Where - where
Who - who
Which - which
Why - why
When - when

We put these words in first place, and the further order of words remains the same as in a regular question. Education scheme:

Specifying word + should + the person in question + action

		I
		you
What		we	write?
Where	should	they	cook?
When		she	dance?
		he
		it

Examples:

Why should I believe you?
Why should I trust you?

What should she tell him?
What should she tell him?

Now you have learned everything about the verb should. What's next? Complete the task. This will not take much time, but will show how well you have understood the information. And I’ll check and tell you how great you are :)

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. You should answer the phone.
2. She should not eat for an hour.
3. Should I buy this dress?
4. Why should I learn English?
5. They should tell their parents the truth.
6. He should not be late for class.
7. What should I give her for her birthday?
8. Your friend should get more rest.

As always, leave your answers in the comments.

Verb should can be used as an auxiliary or modal. In the first case, it is needed to construct grammatical constructions, for example (future in the past), in the second, to express the speaker’s attitude to the action. In this article, we will look first at , and we will also look at should as an auxiliary verb.

Table: modal verb Should in affirmative, negative, interrogative form

Advice with should It is usually translated into Russian with the words “should”, “worth”.

You should spend more time with your family. - You should spend more time with your family.

You shouldn't drink this coffee. It's disgusting. - You not worth it drink this coffee, it's disgusting.

When talking about advice related to the future tense, you can also use should:

Lily should pass her exam later. – Lily should take the exam later.

You shouldn't go to that party on Sunday. - You not worth it go to this party on Sunday.

Synonym should a modal verb can serve - the meaning is almost the same, but ought to is used very rarely, especially in colloquial speech.

You ought to take care of your debts. - You should take care of your debts.

1.2. Commitment

This will not be a strict commitment like , but something like a recommendation with a hint of obligation. Usually concerns planned actions. Actions that, according to the plan, are supposed to happen. It is more appropriate to translate such sentences into Russian not with the words “should”, “worth”, but with “need”, “must”.

I should must be at work at 9 o'clock.

Please note that this value does not use negative form, because the meaning will change. For example, the sentence “I shouldn’t be at work at 9 o’clock” will have a connotation of advice rather than a lack of obligation: “You shouldn’t be at work at 9 o’clock (it’s better to come later, no one will be there anyway).”

Synonym should turnover can serve as the meaning of obligation be supposed to, meaning: in theory it should, it is implied that it should.

I am supposed to be at work at 9 o’clock. - I should be (in theory) at work at 9 o'clock.

1.3. Expected action, probability

In Russian, the word “must” or “should” is sometimes used to mean expected action, probability. For example: She should already be at home = She is probably already at home = She is supposed (expected) to be at home already.

A similar construction in English uses a modal verb should.

By now, they should be in Moscow. -By this time they have already must be in Moscow (they are probably already in Moscow).

Ten dollars is enough. This T-shirt shouldn't cost more than that. - Ten dollars is enough, this one. t-shirt shouldn't cost more (expected to be no more than $10).

Should in this case it can be replaced by be supposed to.

This T-shirt is not supposed to cost more than 10 dollars. – This T-shirt shouldn't (in theory) costs more than 10 dollars.

2. Regret, reproach, probability, expected action - in the past tense

As in the Russian language, advice regarding the past is no longer advice, but regret about something missed or done incorrectly. You cannot advise something to happen in the past, you can only regret the missed opportunity. The turn of phrase often has a connotation of reproach.

We are running out of water. We should have taken more. - We're running out of water. I should have taken it more.

I have no time to read the book. I should have read it on the weekend. – I don’t have time to read a book. I should have read it her on the weekend.

Also, this construction, depending on the context, can mean a probable or expected action in the past. Something that was supposed to happen.