Search results for 'tag:Modal verbs tag:Tenses' matching tags 'Modal verbs' and 'Tenses'

Re: Need we say more?

Jackson6612 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:30:44 GMT

Hi CB,

Cool Breeze
To my home has nothing to do with verbs. To is a preposition here.

Did I say it had anything to do with verbs? Yes, to is a preposition but to my home functions an infinitive object. Am I wrong?

Cool Breeze
The auxiliary forms of need are used primarily in present-tense questions, negations, and conditional clauses.

Why conditional clauses, why not simply conditional sentence(s)?

Cool Breeze
In other words, auxiliary need is normally not used in affirmative clauses and therefore to is used before the infinitive (to say).

Is auxiliary need and modal need the same thing? should, may, will, etc. are auxiliaries verbs and at the same time modal verbs.

Is affirmative clause and assertive clause the same thing?

I believe infinitive has different definitions. Can both say and to say be called infinitives? In the below given quoted text you have used two different definitions of infinitive, say is an infinitive and to say is also an infinitive.

Cool Breeze
To is normally used before an infinitive after a verb: I want to say it. As need is not an auxiliary in an affirmative clause, to is neededbefore a verb after it: I need to say it.

Cool Breeze
To is normally not used before an infinitive after a defective/modal auxiliary verb: I will/may/could/should say it.

What is defective/modal auxiliary verb?

Sorry for asking you too many questions. I hope you will give a touch to all the above questions.

Thanks,
Jackson

Re: tense questions

Clive — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:56:26 GMT

Hi,
1. Is the no. 2, the one that seems to have an ellipted clause or that seems to contain an implicit conditional correct?

1. I think you have a great smile that would warm the heart of many who might have a chance to see it. OK
2. I think you have a great smile that would warm the heart of anyone OK (ellipted condition? if anyone saw it??).

2. The verb (is it intransitive??) 'consist' is troubling me. Can we use the pattern 'can consist' in sentences? Yes

Can an intransitive verb have a modal verb like 'can'? Yes

1. The group consists of 24 members is making a comeback. Incorrect. You could say 'The group consisting of . . '
2. The group that consists of 24 members is making a comeback.OK

Best wishes, Clive

tense questions

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:25:24 GMT

Hi,
1. Is the no. 2, the one that seems to have an ellipted clause or that seems to contain an implicit conditional correct?

1. I think you have a great smile that would warm the heart of many who might have a chance to see it.
2. I think you have a great smile that would warm the heart of anyone (ellipted condition? if anyone saw it??).

2. The verb (is it intransitive??) 'consist' is troubling me. Can we use the pattern 'can consist' in sentences? Can an intransitive verb have a modal verb like 'can'?

1. The group consists of 24 members is making a comeback.
2. The group that consists of 24 members is making a comeback.

Re: "Question tag" by N88

CalifJim — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:08:36 GMT

I make a distinction between past tense and past time. Verb phrases with modal verbs do not form true tenses, in my opinion. They are modal verb phrases.

must have been contains a combination of present time and past time.

It is a present time evaluation: The only possible conclusion is that ...

concerning a past time situation: ... was/were ...

It must have been raining. = The only possible conclusion is that it was raining.

Paul and his wife must have been very tired after their trip. = The only possible conclusion is that Paul and his wife were tired after their trip.

The floor must have been cleaned recently. = The only possible conclusion is that the floor was cleaned recently.

Re: "Question tag" by N88

CalifJim — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:08:36 GMT

I make a distinction between past tense and past time. Verb phrases with modal verbs do not form true tenses, in my opinion. They are modal verb phrases. (must is one of the modal verbs.)

must have been contains a combination of present time and past time.

It is a present time evaluation: The only possible conclusion is that ...

concerning a past time situation: ... was/were ...

It must have been raining. = The only possible conclusion is that it was raining.

Paul and his wife must have been very tired after their trip. = The only possible conclusion is that Paul and his wife were tired after their trip.

The floor must have been cleaned recently. = The only possible conclusion is that the floor was cleaned recently.

"Do you have?" or "Have you?"

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:36:48 GMT

I always thought, that "do" and "have" are modal verbs and they could never be in one sentence for the exception of perfect tenses. Please could you explain me, which of these two expressions is correct.

Re: Lack of emphasis on NPs in ESL

Kooyeen — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:38:55 GMT

I obviously agree with Forbes: it depends on your first language. I have never had any problems with passive sentences, subjects and objects, the difference between countable and uncountable, etc. because those are all features I have in Italian too. It is not difficult at all for me to use conditional structures (= modal verbs) in polite requests, like in "Could you lend me 1,000 dollars?", because very similar structures are used the same way in Italian too. On the other hand, I know some Asian languages don't even have past or future tenses, so it's easy to imagine how much more difficult it must be for them to learn English.

So instead of focusing on noun phrases, shouldn't we rather focus on the real difficulties, which happen to vary from learner to learner according to their native language and past experience with languages in general?

Anonymous

How about this student?

<<I assume many of you have watched the cartoon "Totally spies", right?
I just wonder why it is "Totally" here. "totally" is always an adverb, so what do they imply when using "totally" here? How can it go with the noun "spies"?>>>

Heh, good question! I don't know! Could somebody tell me more about that, as a side note here without going completely off topic? Otherwise I will open another thread. I would say "Total spies", but if I suspect that "totally" in "Totally spies" is used informally in some dialects to mean "definitely", like in, like " Are you, like, coming to my awesome party tonight? - Oh, yeah, totally!"
If that is the case, then I don't think that "totally" has anything to do with proving learners have trouble with noun phrases. It would suggest learners have trouble with informal English, and if you ask me, that's true.

Can we replace WOULD by WAS in such a sentence?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:53:41 GMT

Hello, there,
In the following sentence:

Born in New York City on Oct. 27, 1858, Theodore Roosevelt is the second of four children of Theodore and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt. At age 6, T.R., his brother Elliott and friend Edith Carow (who would one day be his second wife) watch Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession from the home of T.R.'s grandfather on Manhattan's Union Square.

Can we change the modal verb WOULD into the simple past tense WAS? And what's the difference?
I think that WAS is also acceptable if we change a little bit of the context "who was his second wife", but I cannot explain the difference?
Coud you please help me out? Could you please explain the difference between these two verb systems in such a sentence?
Thank you in advance!

Re: Conditional Sentence

CalifJim — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:26:19 GMT

eagerness
the day after it actually happened

Then it's wouldn't.

Though some variation is possible in the right situation, the typical groups of tenses that go together in the same sentence are:

Present perfect - Present - Future of the Present (will) - Most modal verbs, including can, may, must, should

Past Perfect - Past - Future of the Past (would) - could, should, might

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".