By Modals, American English

I am trying to formulate guidelines for learners of English as a foreign language with regards the use of may/might/could to express possibility. It seems to me that you can use these three modals (almost) interchangeably when expressing possibility. For example, 'Where's Mary?' 'I'm not sure....

Thank you MrPedantic.Maybe you've seen I also posted my last post in a new thread. CalifJim replied, and everything seemed ok to him. Maybe there are some differences and preferences between British and American English? For example, this sentence (it's the one about vegetables, only modified a...

CalifJim wrote:Why must expresses epistemic modality -- it must be the mailman, and must not carries only deontic modalityNot to spoil the argument you're making here, but to clarify a tangential matter: This is not true for American English, which allows the following:-- Janette is not eating...

CalifJim wrote:". It is as if there is a whole body of "cross-cultural English" that I don't know about. Yes, I know about elevator and lift, truck and lorry, but I think you're talking about something bigger -- but what? Can you give more examples?CJ You may need to start a new thread up if...

CalifJim wrote:The consequence of all this seems to be the following:Mrs. Mary Pierce, Robert and Elizabeth's mother:-- Robert, you must stay home tonight and study your Latin lessons. (Mary is the speaker; Mary imposes. Robert has the obligation. - Speaker-oriented.) Yes.Elizabeth, Robert's...

The consequence of all this seems to be the following: Mrs. Mary Pierce, Robert and Elizabeth's mother: -- Robert, you must stay home tonight and study your Latin lessons. (Mary is the speaker; Mary imposes. Robert has the obligation. - Speaker-oriented.) Elizabeth, Robert's sister: --...

I've been told that must/have to are used interchangeably. However, my English text books say that the difference is some context considerable. What is your view on this? I don't know of any context in which the difference might be described as considerable. Perhaps you should post some...

In American English we would say We will not have had ... or We won't have had ... (instead of shall). Other than that, both sentences seem quite normal to me as they stand, no matter how haughty the first may seem or how wordy the second may seem. In the case of the second, I thought he...

Hello JKBThe first question is a controversial issue. It may be better for you yourself to read an article about it in The Columbia Guide to Standard American EnglishUsually "often" comes at the middle position [before a main verb, after "is"/"have"/"modals". You can put it at the tail of...

CalifJim wrote:it seems that a few American English speakers do not distinguish between those usesActually, the subjective/objective distinction is of extremely little importance to American speakers. Typically "must" is used as an epistemic modal almost exclusively in ordinary conversation,...