To express degrees of necessity we can use various modal verbs. 100% Necessity You must leave straight away. You have [got] to leave straight away. must is used when the necessity is dictated by the speaker’s authority. have [got] to is used when the necessity is dictated by an external […]
Continue ReadingModals – Ability
To show degrees of ability, we can use modal verbs. These show: 1. ability or opportunity in the present She can play the piano. She is able to play the piano. 2. ability or opportunity in the past She could play the piano. She was able to play the piano. […]
Continue ReadingModal Verbs in English
Modal verbs are used to express ideas such as ability, necessity, permission, and possibility. There are not many modal verbs: can, could, dare*, need*, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would. There are also modal constructions: be able to, ought to, be allowed to. Modals always come first in a […]
Continue ReadingLinking Verbs or Copulas
A linking verb links the subject of the sentence to more information about that subject (the predicate). A linking verb is also known as a copula (plural copulas or copulae.) In English most verbs describe an action. For example: Sofia directs her new film The verb here tells us what […]
Continue ReadingLexical Verbs in English Grammar
Lexical Verbs are basically the main verb in a sentence. They carry some kind of real-world meaning and are sometimes actually known as the main verb: You laughed. I ran. They are basically an open-class of verbs; in other words, we can add new verbs to this class. In recent […]
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