In Modals^x, Expressions^x

The conflation of two modals. Why don't you just get rid of one of them? This is not the conflation of two modals. It is a distinction in usage based on a different parameter from the one you may be used to. That is, the distinction is made on the basis of whether the meaning is epistemic...

The auxiliary "do" is used in questions, negatives, emphatic expressions, and tags. You liked her. Did you like her? You didn't like her. Didn't you like her? You did like her. You liked her, didn't you? You did like her, didn't you? As for emphatics, they frequently occur in the "but"...

Example 1.1. He may not have heard you. Call him again.2. He might not have heard you. Call him again."May" and "might" are used here as modals for conjecture. "May"(#1) is a bit stronger in the certainty of the conjecture.Example 2.1. You may not borrow my car.2. *You might not borrow my...

Thanks for your reply, MrP. 1. I would call it an exclamatory conditional. The main clause is left unspoken, but we can usually infer it, e.g. "if only she would contact me, I would be very happy". Ok, it’s a conditional with an unexpressed result but still a ‘conditional’ right? In this case,...

Hello Taka "Deontic" relates to the modal expression of an obligation, prohibition, recommendation, etc. Sometimes "should" is deontic: "You should say 'thank you!' when someone gives you a stuffed rhinoceros!" MrP

Mary Ansell's on-line text, English Grammar: Explanations and Exercises, explains some of the differences among these auxiliaries: 3. Can and Could The modal auxiliary can is most often used in the Simple conjugation. The most important meaning of can and could is to be able to. e.g....

Quoth Johann Georg August Galletti: Das größte Insekt ist der Elefant. ................................................................................................................................................................ The spider does not belong to insects! (An amateur like...

One reference -- Paul Roberts' Understanding Grammar -- says need has become a sometimes modal auxiliary, while have to, be able to, and be used to are "equivalents of modal auxiliaries." Need was not originally a modal auxiliary, but it has been drawn into the group because of its meaning,...

hi agent c we are discussing the translations of sentences and some types of examples in montague grammer. this is my "formal semantics" lesson in school. i don't know well this issue but Roro helped me much. so i increase my knowledge a bit with discussing. this is the first handout of the...

Hello, milky (The question is ... I'm not sure if we could call the speaker's plan or decision as internal evidence.) You misunderstand me. There's immediate internal and external evidence that help choose "going to" and then, for other expressions, there' plans and intentions. This is not...