By Regards, Modals

George Curme doesn't seem to agree with Palmer: --The past subjunctive is often used instead of the present indicative since the abstract principle is felt as more important than the concrete fact: I regard it as the saddest of things that a man should be allowed to bring up his son in...

Hello New Guest, I really understand what you are looking for because when I was at intermediate level, I was questioning everything like you and interested in thinking every sentence in detail. Past perfect tense was my favourite.I questioned and thought about its usage for years because it...

Hi Jim, Don't know anything about "modals", and this probably begs the question, but my sense of this construction has always been that there's absolutely no doubt in the mind of the speaker. He knows something which is unknown to the person or group he's addressing. Based...

The word "to" is often confusing in English. It can be used as part of a modal expression, infinitive or as a preposition. Note the usage of "to" in the following sentences. To V I used to live in Utah. I am supposed to go. I hope to see you. To V ing I am used to...

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....

Hela wrote:Dear teachers, Would you please correct this exercise for me? Fill in with the right preposition (simple or multiword) and put the verbs in the right tense or form: In the morning I arrived I went to call for . Hislop (be) was full of regrets, of course, but I (modal + leave)...

Dear teachers, Would you please correct this exercise for me? Fill in with the right preposition (simple or multiword) and put the verbs in the right tense or form: In the morning I arrived I went to call for Hislop. they (ruin) were ruined for nothing at all. The petition (debate) was...

Thanks MrP, I appreciate your reply. I have to admit, I'm finding it hard to justify the difference in meaning between the two, and those sentences aren't the best examples. But, I am convinced there is a difference. If I say have to/must to myself a couple of times, I find there is a...

Hi, 'Soon' is commonly used to relate to a point in the future that is close to 'now'. It's true that you can use 'soon' to refer to the past. eg I began to learn Chinese in 1980. Soon, I was fluent. However, as shown in this example, you need to make it clear that 'soon' relates to a time...

Let's spread out the issue a little bit: ____ O ____ Type 2. Basic forms. a. If we caught the 10 o'clock train, we would (could, might, etc.) get there by lunch-time. b. If I came into a fortune, I would give up smoking. c. If I knew how it worked, I could tell...