Search results for 'tag:Verbs tag:Modals' matching tags 'Verbs' and 'Modals'

Re: TO - preposition or infinitive

Scottsox — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:37:03 GMT

Anonymous
I OBJECT TO PLAYING.

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU.

SHE IS USED TO WORKING AT NIGHT.

THEY ARE ACUSTOMMED TO HELPING.

SHE WANTS TO GO THERE.

In the first four of these phrases, the "to" functions as a preposition, because its respective objects are all events or actions. These are not truly infinitives, although if translating from a different language that has a broader grammatical usage of the infinitive, these might be legitimate translations of such. "I object to [the act of] playing," "I am looking forward to [the event of] seeing you," "They are accustomed to [the act of] helping." The last sentence in the list represents the use of the infinitive to complete the thought of a verb. "Want" can either be transitive ("I want candy.") or it can be modal, requiring an infinitive to complete the phrase. Notice the difference: She wants to go there vs. She wants to going there. I am looking forward to seeing you vs. I am looking forward to see you. In the last pair, the latter expresses purpose, while the former expresses desire.

Scott Stocking

Re: please help

richard_s — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:13:58 GMT

Due to is a preposition, so the first clause should be a prepositional phrase (remember that you can't use modals in prepositional phrases, so you will have to change cannotÂ to not be able to. Â The verb in the clause needs to be in gerund form. You need a comma after the prepositional phrase, not a semicolon. Â

There are only 50% good included 500pcsÂ doesn't make sense. Â Probably included should be including, but I am not sure what this sentence means.

Re: versatile uses of modal verb "would"?

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:56:53 GMT

Sorry, I forgot to ask you this:

Can you tell me how does this use of the modal "would" work: the future of the past? I am trying very hard to understand the whole point but it is not easy.
I think you said "Request" is a subcategory of the conditional use of "would", then in addition to "permission", are these subcategories of the conditional use?

Would two o'clock fit your schedule? -- arrangement-making
Would you come here at two o'clock? -- invitation
Would you like a pen or pencil? I would like a pen. -- preference

Re: versatile uses of modal verb "would"?

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:40:32 GMT

Thank you. Your explanation makes much sense, yet demands more time to go over.

You said:

Your examples (below) are all cases of the conditional usage with one or more implicit conditions. The use of would is the signal that the fulfillment of the condition(s) is not currently in effect or not likely to come into effect.

It would be good to have a sister. (but I don't have a sister)

I would go for that idea. (but no one has seriously proposed it yet)

It would take more than two years. (but it has not yet been undertaken)

As far as I understand it, a conditional is a statement that is predicated on the fulfillment of the condition stated in the if-clause, but it seems difficult to follow what you are saying by "The use of would is the signal that the fulfillment of the condition(s) is not currently in effect or not likely to come into effect."

Oh... now, I think I got it, are you saying the above sentences have conditions to meet but those have not currently come into realization or not likely to come about any time soon.?

So, it could be said for the first one of the three examples:

It would be good to have a sister (a possible condition: if you asked me; could it be any other possible condtion? on second thoughts, a more possible conditional if-clause would be "if I could have have a sister" Confused... Would you say we can get the conditional if-clause most times by looking at overall context?) (but I don't have a sister)

Re: versatile uses of modal verb "would"?

CalifJim — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:28:00 GMT

I think the basic functions of would are the habitual past, the future of the past, and the conditional.

Requests (or asking permission) is a subcategory of the conditional use. Semantically, these are conditionals. Pragmatically, they can be requests if framed as questions.

Anonymous
whether the questions parts pose different categories than the answer parts.

Both are conditionals, but the question form is used to signal a request. You are correct that "if I asked (more directly)" is the implied condition.

An alternate interpretation is that would connotes willingness, and that Would you pass ...? is really asking "Are you willing to pass ...?" The answer is then "Yes, I am willing to pass ...".

Note, however, that regardless of the interpretation, there is not usually a complete answer in words. The person addressed simply passes whatever was requested, possibly saying, "Sure" or "OK" or "Here" or "Here it is".

It would be good to have a sister. (but I don't have a sister)

I would go for that idea. (but no one has seriously proposed it yet)

It would take more than two years. (but it has not yet been undertaken)

versatile uses of modal verb "would"?

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:56:35 GMT

Hi,

How could a person use the modal "would" correctly? I think the uses of it can be said to be in the categories of "request", "invitation", "conditional" and others. What I have most trouble is the conditional use of the modal "would".

Would you say all these show the conditional use (with the if-clauses being absent, which could be derived from context explicitly or implicitly)?

It would be good to have a sister.
I would go for that idea.
It would take more than two years.

If I am right, what poses difficulty next is knowing whether the questions parts pose different categories than the answer parts.

Permission in question part:
Would you mind passing me the salt?
Conditional in answer part:
No, I would mind passing you the salt at all

If you have only the answer part, the obvious elliped part would be "if you asked me". Right?

Request in question part:
Would you pass the pepper please?
Conditioal in answer part:
Sure, I would pass the pepper to you.

If you have only the answer part, the obvious ellipted part would be "if you asked me." Right?

Will or Would?

GoldenQN — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:39:55 GMT

I've been looking at previous posts and I still don't understand modal verbs too well. Would I use the first sentence if I'm talking about a hypothetical future?

I believe a career with ABC would allow me to continue the learning experience.
I believe a career with ABC will allow me to continue the learning experience.

Re: Lack of emphasis on NPs in ESL

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:39:51 GMT

>>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. <<

And do they omit articles in Italian?

"Could you lend me a 1,000 dollars?",

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.

Re: Names of different tenses

Cool Breeze — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:58:41 GMT

Raen
He would have had completed the task if he had asked for help before he left work -- would have had completed used for had asked (past perfect) that happens before left (simple past)

Is it false then? "would have + (past perfect)" doesn't exist?

These terms may not be the same everywhere but the basic grammar of the language is the same all over the Anglo-Saxon world! Would have had completed is always wrong. Would is a defective/modal auxiliary and only an infinitive is possible after these auxiliaries. In this case the perfect infinitive must be used. There are two theoretical alternatives using your verbs. Either would have completed or would have had. All other combinations are wrong. The perfect infinitive consists of have + past participle. It is impossible to have another past participle right after a perfect infinitive. That is impossible in all Germanic languages, I believe.