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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ An auxiliary verb 🔤 Relating to verb mood 🎶 Relating to musical modes 🖥️ Blocking window 📊 Most common value
modal

modal

3 4.9
A helping verb that shows possibility, permission, or obligation
  • noun
  • /ˈmoʊdəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : verbo modal
  • The teacher explained the use of modals such as 'can' and 'should' in forming sentences about possibility and obligation.

Examples

  • There are two types of auxiliary verbs: the primary auxiliaries used to form tenses and modals to add modality.

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  • I quote you: 'Modals have no person or number; they can occasionally express tense, or at least time.'

    Blog text (31)

  • However, this only seems to happen with modals like "would, could, might," etc.

    Blog text (31)

  • I never said anything about modals being a mood; keep up!

    Blog text (31)

  • And what do you mean 'over your teaching career there were no modals'? - You never said 'can', 'could', etc.

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  • The only difference between English and French is that English modals have no inflections.

    Blog text (31)

  • Correction: I should have said modals have no person or number; they can occasionally express tense, or at least time.

    Blog text (31)

  • In English grammar, modals play a crucial role in expressing the speaker's intent regarding ability or permission.

  • Understanding modals is essential for mastering how to convey necessity and advice in conversation.

Synonyms

modal verb
vsmodal
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A helping verb like can that shows ability, permission, need or possibility

is the same concept but lists a different set of examples
modal auxiliary
vsmodal
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A helping verb like can that you use with another verb to show chance, need or time

focuses on the same idea but stresses use with base verb forms
modal auxiliary verb
vsmodal
  • Specialized
4.3

A helper word used with verbs to show possibility or need, for example can and must

matches this meaning but orders examples differently

Compounds

modal auxiliary
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A helping verb like can that you use with another verb to show chance, need or time

modal verb
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A helping verb like can that shows ability, permission, need or possibility

modal auxiliary verb
  • Specialized
4.3

A helper word used with verbs to show possibility or need, for example can and must

modal logic
  • Specialized
9.2

A type of reasoning that studies what must be true or may be true

modal notation
  • Specialized
9.9

A way of writing music in the Middle Ages that shows rhythm patterns for several musical parts

modal value
  • Specialized
6.5

The number or item that appears most often in a set of data

Surface Forms

modal singular
modals plural

Morphology

modal = modal (semi-transparent) = mode + al

The noun is a straightforward substantivized use of the adjective 'modal', but the specific meaning 'modal verb' is specialized and usually understood from grammatical context.

Etymology

Modal comes from mode, from Latin modus, meaning 'manner' or 'way'. A modal verb shows the 'way' someone speaks about possibility, necessity, or permission, which is why words like 'can' or 'may' are called modals.