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Билет №17 Modal verbs. Can, may and their equivalents
(C) ESP
THE PLAN:
- general description of m.v.; their peculiarities (see №18)
- Can/could
- May/might
| MODAL VERB; form of infinitive | MEANING; FUNCTION sentence type | EXAMPLES | NOTES; RESTRICTIONS | ||
| can/could Indef.inf. | ability (+, - ?) | I can read Italian, but I can't speak it. She could read when she was four. (Past time context) You could get a better job if you spoke a foreign language. (Subj.M.) | a) Future ability: / '// be able to speak Italian in a few months. BUT: Deciding now about the future: / haven’t got time today, but I can see you tomorrow. b) Could is not normally used to refer to one particular occasion (Russ. смог, сумел): How much were you able to earn? / managed to find a nice dress in the sale. We succeeded in getting to the top. I failed to send them a report. c) However, in negative sentences and in sent, with only, we also use could to refer to one occasion: I managed to find the street, but I couldn't ( find her house. I could only earn 50 bucks. She could hardly believe her eyes. | ||
| could Perf. inf. | unrealised past ability; criticism (mostly +) | I could have married anybody 1 wanted to. I was so angry I could hove killed her! (~готов был) I could have won the race if I hadn't fallen. You could hove helped me -why did you just sit and watch? | Might with a Perf.(as well as Indef.) Inf. can also be used in criticisms and reproaches: You might ask before you borrow my car; You might have told me sooner. | ||
| can/could Indef.inf. | possibility; opportunity suggestion (+,-,?) | I don't think this car can be repaired Scotland can be very warm in September. When you're in London, you could go and see Alex. | a)Could makes present and future suggestions less direct. | ||
| could Indef.inf. | probability (+,-?) | It could rain later on this evening. (~ возможно, вероятно) | a)Can is not used to speak about future probability. This idea is expressed with may/might or to be (un)likely. I may/might be given a new job soon. He 's unlikely to agree; It 's likely that... b)Note the difference between can/could and may/might in negative sentences: It may/might not rain tomorrow. It may not be true (=Perhaps it isn't true; Perhaps it will not rain) It can't / couldn't possibly rain tomorrow. It can't be true (=It will certainly not rain tomorrow; It is certainly not true) | ||
| can Indef. Inf. | possibility due to laws and regulations (+,-,?) | You can't park on a double yellow line on Sundays. Can he take a driving test if he's under age? (~ можно, нельзя, имеет право) | Could is found in the sequence of tenses and in past time contexts: The policeman said 1 couldn't stop there. | ||
| can ''could Indef. Inf. | requests; offers; asking for and giving permission (+,-?) | Can I have some more? - No, I'm afraid you can't. Can I carry your bag? Could you give me a hand? Could I ask you something if you're not too busy? - Yes, of course you can. | a)Could is more polite, more formal and less direct. b)Only can is used in giving permission c)May/might are also found in this function. They are more formal, and some people consider mem more 'correct', but in fact can/could are normally preferred in informal educated usage, esp. in BrE. | ||
| can/could all forms of the Inf. | incredulity, doubt, uncertainty (-, ?) | Can/Could she be forty? They can't/couldn't have covered 500 miles in one day. Can she be working at this time of day? (неужели?., не м.б., чтобы...) г*< еде>л *и| аляд /iM | |||
| can/could all forms of the Inf. | puzzlement impatience ? | Whatever can/could he mean? Where on earth can she have put и?(~Да куда же?..) | |||
SET EXPRESSIONS:
can't help + gerund: We couldn't help laughing.
can't but + bare inf.: We couldn't but laugh, [formal]
can/can't possibly: How can I possibly refuse? It can't/couldn't possibly rain tomorrow.
can't... too: You can't be too careful these days. This novel cannot be praised too highly.
can't... enough: I can't thank you enough. We couldn't have enough (to eat).
I couldn't care less.
MAY
1) See notes on can/could.
2) Present or future possibility (may/might + Indef.inf.):
• I may go to London tomorrow, (perhaps a 50% chance)
• I might go to London tomorrow, (perhaps a 30% chance)
3) Typical occurrences (may + Indef. inf.):
• The flowers may have five or six petals: colour may range from pink to dark red.
• After having a baby, a woman may_ suffer from depression for several months.
4) Supposition (may/might; all forms of the inf.):
• Polly's very late; she may have missed her train.
5) Unrealised (undesirable) past possibility: a danger that was avoided (might+Perf. inf.):
• You might have slipped and injured yourself.
6) Similarity or likeness (might):
• From the back she might have been Miss America.( ~ можно принять за...)
• I might be ugly (~ можно подумать, что...)
SET EXPRESSIONS
may/might as well, may/might just as well: a) We might as well put down the main points, (a mild and unemphatic way of expressing an intention, suggestion or recommendation). b)Shall we go and see Fred? -OK, might as well\ There's nobody interesting to talk to: we may just. as well go home (suggests that one should do sth because there is nothing better, nothing more interesting or nothing more useful to do)
may... but: He may be clever, but he hasn't got much common sense. It may be a comfortable car, but it's far too expensive, (used in argumentation to talk about things that are definitely true, but make no . difference to the main argument).
... if I may put it/say so.