In Modals^x, Clauses^x, Negatives^x

I tried to ..., I could. I find this turn of phrase defective, though I must admit, not always fatally so. The weight lifting example is more difficult to explain. It turned out that or ... found that might so strongly suggest the success-at-a-point-in-time scenario that could can pass...

Hi, I was looking at a thread named "could have done and were able" and in it, Velimir said in part this in one of his posts: I tend to use "could" instead of "was able" in similar situations but in Michael Swan's " Practical English Usage " it's...

Hi everybody, I strongly disagree with the views mentioned on behalf of the Callan Method. Just because it promises to get the student where he or she wants to, doesn't mean the Method deserves criticism. I've been teaching English both the traditional way and the Callan Method way for...

Hi Brummel Welcome to the forums. Your reasoning regarding can and could is right, and what causes further problems is the fact that can has a number of meanings. He can play the piano can be put in the past by simply replacing can with could especially if the reference is to skill, ability or...

Thank you to all those who have posted their suggestions to my little imagination game. Some have taken it very seriously thinking they would have to relearn English after the 'changes'. This was meant to be just a game, not for those wo take everything seriously, and of course in this game...

Inchoateknowledge wrote: there are some oddities I have just dug up in a grammar book and in which you might be interested: Marginal modal auxiliaries: used to, ought to, need, dare used to: He usedn't to smoke. He did not use to smoke. He used to drink, did he not. Did he use to drink? ought...

there are some oddities I have just dug up in a grammar book and in which you might be interested: Marginal modal auxiliaries: used to, ought to, need, dare used to: He usedn't to smoke. He did not use to smoke. He used to drink, did he not. Did he use to drink? ...

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...

BBC English says if you should… / if you happen to… Note that we use should in the if-clause in the first conditional if we want to suggest that something is very unlikely. We can use happen to in a similar way or even combine them: If you should / happen to change your mind about coming to...

There must be a negative word or implication in the clause, K., when 'need' is a 'semi-modal auxiliary': You needn't go. Only he need go. MrP