Click here to play

may

   Share on Facebook  
Tung Quoc  #277474  Sat, 07 Oct 06 04:48 PM

1.He may have to pay.

2.He may must pay.

Both are correct? (may in (1) and (2) expresses degree of certainty, have to and must express necessity)

Quoc

  
Top 75 Contributor
Joined on Sun, Sep 17 2006
Regular Member (870)
Yoong Liat  #277492  Sat, 07 Oct 06 05:24 PM
 Tung Quoc wrote:

1.He may have to pay.

2.He may must pay.

Both are correct? (may in (1) and (2) expresses degree of certainty, have to and must express necessity)

Quoc

1.He may have to pay. (This sentence is correct. It does not indicate that he will have to pay.)

2.He may must pay. (wrong) (Should be He must pay. This sentence indicates that he will have to pay.) 

  
Top 25 Contributor
Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006
Singapore
Veteran Member (5,989)
Yoong Liat
J Lewis  #277509  Sat, 07 Oct 06 06:07 PM
I'd add that we can't use must after may because it is not an infinitive.
  
Top 150 Contributor
Joined on Tue, Sep 5 2006
Italy
Regular Member (518)
Proficient Speaker
Inchoateknowledge  #277547  Sat, 07 Oct 06 08:32 PM

I have never seen two modals consecutively in any correct sentences. Wink [;)]

have to is not a modal; it is a semi-modal.

  
Top 50 Contributor
Joined on Wed, May 3 2006
Senior Member (2,528)
Beep! Beep! :)
Tung Quoc  #277653  Sun, 08 Oct 06 05:25 AM

Thanks

Q

  
milky  #277682  Sun, 08 Oct 06 07:02 AM

Again, "Are both correct?"

You need to think about question formation.

  
Top 50 Contributor
Joined on Thu, Jan 15 2004
Senior Member (3,149)
Hume said that if we had perfect or complete descriptive knowledge of reality, we could not, by reasoning, derive a single valid "ought".
AddThis Feed Button RSS Feed: ESL General English Grammar Questions
© 2008 MediaCET Ltd.
Terms and Conditions & Terms of Service