Modal auxiliaries : CAN and MAY

In this lesson we are introducing Modal Auxiliaries+

Auxiliaries are divided into Primary Auxiliaries and Modal Auxiliaries Primary auxiliaries are three in number--Have, Do and Be
They change their form according to the number and person of tje subject Examples;

*I am going to the school.

*She is going to the school.

*They are going to the school.


Modal Auxiliaries express the mood of the speaker They convey possibility, doubt,supposition , uncertainty. determination . surety and so on They do not change their form according to the subject of the sentence .


The use of CAN


*Can expresses ability, and this auxiliary is equivalent to "is able to "

I can play the violin.

I am able to play the violin.


Please note that when can denotes ability its future tense is "will be able to"
Example :

You will be able to drive a car when you are older.

*Can sometimes expresses permission .and it is equivalent to "is permitted to" Example:

You can leave now.

You are permitted to leave now.

Please note that when can is used in this sense the future tense is can itself . Example:

You can do it tomorrow .


* Another use of can is to show a latent possibility or a possibility that is conceded. Example:

Dogs can be dangerous>.


The past tense of CAN


CAN has two past forms : could and "was able to "Could is used when we refer to the ability or capacity. Example:


She could sing when she was young.

"Was able to " is used when we refer to the performance or achievement of something through the ability or capacity . Examples:

She was able to reach the finish line in time .

He was able to save her from drowning .

The modal auxiliary MAY

May is used to express Permission or possibility

You may go (permission)

Please note that when permission is denied we say "can't"In other words the opposite of may is can't ! Example

May I use your car?

No, you can't!(we don't say mayn't!)

When may shows possibility it is stressed in spoken English Example

The train may be late by a few minutes.

We will discuss the remaining modal auxiliaries in the next posts .

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Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the verb-form in Past Perfect Continuous Tense?


The verb-form is: had+ been+ -ing -form of the lexical verb Example: had been sleeping . Please remember that the first auxiliary had remains unchanged in form whatever may be the number, person or gender of the subject! In several European languages the auxiliary in past tense is inflected for number, person and gender of the subject. English is an exception


What is the context for using the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?


Past Perfect Continuous is used when there are two past actions in the sentence .The earlier action is of an extended or prolonged nature. The emphasis is on the continuity of the earlier action .Please look at this example:

Before he returned to India in 1914 , Mahatma Gandhi had been practising as a lawyer in South Africa.

In this sentence there are two actions : return and practise Both happened in the past . The earlier action practise lasted for quite a long time. Hence, it is put in the past perfect continuous . The other action return is put in the Simple Past


What is the difference between Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Tense?


In Past Perfect also there are two past actions One of them is earlier than the other. The emphasis is on the time gap between the two actions . Look at this example;

When I reached the station, the train had left .

There is a clear time gap between the two actions and this is highlighted by the Past Perfect Tense . But the emphasis in Past Perfect Continuous Tense is on the continuity of the earlier action . See these examples:

* She had been living in India for ten years before she emigrated to the US.

* He had been working as a teacher before he became a lawyer .


What about an extended earlier state?


The verb be is a stative verb and ,therefore, it does not have continuous form . When we have to express an earlier state of a continuous nature we have to make do with Past perfect. Examples:

* Ronald Reagan had been a Hollywood actor before he became the President.

8 He had been happy till he married her.

*Putin had beenthe President of the Russian Federation before he became the Prine Minister.


What is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous ?


In Past Perfect Continuous there are two past actions and the earlier action is of a prolonged nature.
In Past Continuous one action happened while another action was going on .

* He came to my house while it was raining hard,(past continuous)

* It had been raining for several days before it cleared up suddenly.(Past Perfect Continuous)

Please note that the use of Past Continuous in the place of Past Perfect Continuous is a mistake in grammar This mistake is common among ESl learners

.Enough for Past Perct Continuous! Bye-bye till the next post!\

Thank you

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Past Perfect Tense--In Question-Answer Form

What is the verb-form in Past Perfect Tense?


The verb-form is had + past participle of the lexical verb The auxiliary had does not change according to the number , person or gender of the subject as in some European languages


What is the context for using Past Perfect Tense?


Past Perfect Tense is used when there are two past actions in the sentence. One of these two actions is earlier than the other The earlier action is put in the Past Perfect Tense and the later action is put in the Simple Past Have a look at this sentence:

When the police arrived on the scene, the thief had escaped

The two actions are arrived and escaped The earlier action , escaped, is put in the Past Perfect Tense.The later action , arrived , is put in Simple Past. See other examples:


* When I reached his house . he had already left for Bangalore.

*When the doctor arrived , the patient had already died.

*When I reached the station . the train had already left.


Please note that the adverb already is used to emphasize the time-gap between the two actions .


If the conjunction before is used , is Past Perfect a must?


Past Perfect is not strictly required when the time-gap between the two actions is already indicated with the conjunction before The use of Past Perfect would be redundant.But languages do not always follow logic! Usage justifies the use of Past Perfect even when conjunction before is present in the sentence See the example :

He met her several times before he married her


When be is used what is the verb_form?


The Past Participle form of be is been Therefore , the verb-form would be had + been Example

He had been a movie actor before he became the President

Enough for Past Perfect! Bye-bye till the next post

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Past Continuous Tense : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the verb-form in Past Perfect Tense?


Past Continuous Tense makes use of a compound verb-form ,taat is, the verb-form consisting of an auxiliary and the obligatory main verb.The main verb is in the -ing form . The auxiliary verb is was for singular subjects and were for plural subjects .


What is the context in which Past Continuous is used ?


Generally speaking, Past Continuous expresses an extended action or activity as opposed to a momentary action .This tense is used when the speaker wants to say that some action occurred while another was in progress . The action in progress is put in the Past Continuous verb-form and the momentary action is put in the Simple Past verb-form
examlpe:

I was speaking on the phone when the door-bell rang

In this sentence there are two actions One of them -the door-bell rang- occurred while another -was speaking -was going on . See other examples:

*He saw her when she was plucking flowers in her garden

*He went out when it was raining outside

*He stumbled over a stone while he was running to catch a bus.

*She fell off the footboard while she was boarding the bus

These examples could be split up into shorter sentences or re-phrased suitably in conversational English Examples:

*She was plucking flowers in her garden . Then he happened to see her

*He went out , but it was then raining hard outside.

*He was running to catch a bus .Then he stumbled over a stone

*Hard luck She was boarding the bus . Then she fell off the footboard.


Is Past Continuous used in any other context ?


Yes ! There needn't be two actions in the sentence in order to use Past Continuous> Sometimes Past Continuous verb-form merely indicates the continuity of an action in the pastThe speaker wants to emphasize the continuity of the acti on and not the action itself See these examples:

*I feel dead tired. I was working all day yerterday

*Look! The ground is flooded. It was raining hard last night.



Does Past Continuous imply any interruption in the action?


No! This tense need not imply any interruption of any action .However, in some situations the verb in the Simple Past may interrupt the action in the Continuous form Example:

The telephone rang when I was having my lunch .

Here the action in the continuous form(was having) is interrupted by the action in the Simple Past(rang) But look at the following sentence:

He went out when it was raining outside

Here the continuous action is in no way inerrupted by the action in the simple past.!


When there are two past actions in the sentence , need we put one of them in the Past Continuous ?


No! We need put the extended action alone in the continuous form . If both the actions are extended actions , we can put both of them in the Past Continuous tense, If both the actions are consecutive actions in the past , both of them can be expressed in Simple Past . Examples:

* He was reading and she was writing all the morning.

*He slept and she sat by his bedside during his long illness

*The child played and the baby_sitter watched while his parents were away.

* He came in and sat next to her,.

When we narrate past events we use sentences like these. Past Continuous is used only when the speaker has in mind the continuity of th action. When the speaker has in mind the continuity of both the actions , he/she can put both the actions in Past Continuous .See this example:

She was crying and he was wiping her tears


Dear readers, I will continue the discussion in my next post


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