Search results for 'tag:Modal verbs tag:Simple present' matching tags 'Modal verbs' and 'Simple present'

Re: The infinitive

CalifJim — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:51:44 GMT

Infinitive means not finite, that is, not tied to any particular tense or time. It does not mean the simple present. It isn't any tense at all.

The infinitive is formed by adding the word to in front of the dictionary form of the verb.

Infinitives: to do, to go, to see, to know

Infinitives are used after many different verbs, such as want, hope, promise, and try. want to go, hope to see, try to do, etc.

If the word to is left out, you have a "bare infinitive": do, go, see, know. Bare infinitives are used after modal verbs like can, could, will, would, may, etc.

Another name for "bare infinitive" is "base form".

Re: Which tense to use?

CalifJim — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 07:27:03 GMT

They are very similar, and there are no grammatical rules. It's simply a matter of style. The simple present is more aloof, more a statement about a scheduled event. The present continuous is a bit warmer and spontaneous sounding.

Teacher to students: Tomorrow we study the modal verbs.
Student to another student: According to our English teacher we're studying the modal verbs tomorrow.

CJ

Re: Which tense to use?

CalifJim — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 07:25:51 GMT

Re: Would

Pinenut — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 17:35:38 GMT

When we talk about a subjunctive construction, I think it is easier to understand it without the 'inserted clause, I would think' becasue that way one can clearly see the cause-and-effect relationship beteween the conditional clause and the main clasue.

1. If someone tells you that you may park a vehicle, parking either a car or a bicycle will be okay.
2. If someone tells you that you may park a vehicle, parking either a car or a bicycle is okay.

According to Collins Cobuild English Grammar, 1. describe a possible future occurence.
8.32 When you are talking about a possible future occurence, you use the simple present tense in the conditional clause and the simple future tense in the mani clause.

On the other hand, 2. describes a common occurence.
8.28 When you are talking about a common occurence, you use the simple present tense or simple present continuous tense in the conditional clause and in the main clause.

The inserted clause, I would think, describes the speaker's state of mind and the modal verb would conveys his politeness in expressing his thought. Therefore, the answer to the original question is this: Both sentences have different meanings and both are the same in the degree of politeness.

Re: Emphasize

miriam — Sat, 26 Jun 2004 09:07:17 GMT

Of course I don't mind your asking
I don't know what your first language is, but in my country, Spanish speakers find it difficult too to understand that the "s" is necessary to form the simple present of a verb for the 3rd. person singular. The reason is that we associate the addition of an "s" at the end of a word only with plural forms.

In English, most nouns add an "s" to form the plural:
example (singular) --- examples (plural)
Some nouns add "es", and there are several irregular plurals.

Now, the "s" you may add to the word "mean" is not the same "s" that you add to a nounn in order to from the plural.
You intended to use the verb "mean" in the simple present in your post. Now, the rule for forming the present simple of verbs in English is the following:
You use the base form of the verb (that is, the infinitive, the verb as it appears in a dictionary entry) for all the persons but the third person singular, for which you have to add an "s" (or "es") to the verb. To form the negative and the interrogative, you need the auxiliary "do" for all persons except the third person singular, which uses "does".
The exceptions to this rule are the verb "to be", which is the most irregular of the English verbs, and the modal verbs (can, could, may, might, should, will, would, etc).
The verb "mean" in the simple present would be:
I mean
you mean
he, she, it means
we mean
you mean
they mean

In the case of verbs, the addition of the "s" does not mean pluralisation.

Other examples of the simple present:

"I go to school."
"He goes to school."

"My sister and I like icecream."
"Susan likes icecream."

"I speak English."
"You speak English."
"She speaks English."
"The boys speak English."
"We all speak English."

"The word 'easy' means 'not difficult'."
"What does this word mean?"
"What do these words mean?"

Let me know if you still find it confusing?