Modals are a type of auxiliary (helping) verb that express modality, which includes meanings related to possibility, ability, permission, necessity, obligation, or advice. They are used alongside the base form of another verb to indicate conditions such as likelihood, capacity, permission, request, suggestion, or necessity. Common English modal verbs include can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, and ought. They convey different shades of meaning, such as:
- Epistemic modality (likelihood or certainty of a proposition being true),
- Deontic modality (permission or obligation), and
- Dynamic modality (ability or willingness).
For example:
- "You must leave now" (obligation),
- "You can swim" (ability),
- "It might rain tomorrow" (possibility),
- "May I leave?" (permission).
Modals do not change form according to the subject and are always followed by the base form of the main verb without "to".
