8. Need

The modal verb need may be used either as a defective (недостаточный, неполный ) or a regular verb. As a defective verb need has only one form and combines with a bare infinitive. In reported speech it remains unchanged. As a regular, notional verb it has non-finite forms, analytical forms of the verb, is used with auxiliary verbs in negative and interrogative sentences and takes direct objects.

There is a slight difference in the usage of regular and irregular forms. The regular form is used mainly when the following infinitive denotes habitual action. The defective form is more common for one particular occasion.

Need expresses:

1. Necessity or absence of necessity

• to need + noun / pronoun = to be in need of, to be in want of

• need is a regular, notional, normal, transitive verb (‘need’ is not a modal verb)

• need is used in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences

• need corresponds to the Russian: нужно, нуждается, не нужно, незачем, надо, не надо

• He needs a dictionary.

• Do you need my help?

• She does not need any interpreter.

• I needed a pair of shoes. It looks like rain.

• You will need a raincoat and rubber boots, I think.

• to need + verb

• need is a regular, notional, normal, transitive verb (‘need’ is not a modal verb)

• need is used in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences

• need is used with the Indefinite Infinitive only

• need corresponds to the Russian: нужно, не нужно

• need is close to ‘to have to’

• You don’t need to tell me about it. (= You don’t have to tell me about it.)

• You didn’t need to tell me about it

• Did you need to read all these books? (= Did you have to read all these books? = Was it necessary for you to read all these books?)

• I’m afraid you need to know all about it.

• I’m tired. I need to get some sleep.

• We need to complete this report by Friday. (= we complete it) and

• We need them to complete this report by Friday. (= they complete it)

• when we say that it is necessary to do something, we use need, must, to have to, to have got to (have got to is less formal than the others, and is particularly common in spoken English)

• Before you buy a house, you must consider/ need to consider/ have to consider/ have got to consider all the costs.

• need + verb

• need is a modal, defective, anomalous (аномальный, неправильный) verb

• need has only one form

• need is followed by the bare Infinitive

• need is used most commonly in negative sentences, although it is sometimes also used in interrogative sentences

• need is used with the Indefinite and Perfect Infinitive

• needn’t + the Indefinite Infinitive shows that an unnecessary action refers to the present or future (present or future reference) (needn’t do – выражает отсутствие необходимости совершать действие в настоящем или будущем)

  • needn’t do – не нужно, не надо, незачем (present or future reference)

• needn’t + the Perfect Infinitive shows that the action refers to the past and that an unnecessary action was carried out. You are often implying that the person didn’t know at the time that their action was not necessary. (past reference) (need’t have done – передает значение отсутствия необходимости совершить действие в прошлом, которое кто-то совершил)

• need’t have done – зря, не нужно было, незачем было, не надо было, не к чему было (past reference)

• He needn’t do it just now.

• You needn’t be afraid of me

• You needn’t have spent all the money. Now we’ve got nothing left. Зря ты потратила деньги.

• I needn’t have gone to the office yesterday. Я зря сходил в офис вчера.

• Need I repeat it? (or, more commonly: Do I have to repeat it?)

• Need I tell you what has happened? (or, more commonly: Do I have to tell you what has happened?)

• Need she come tomorrow? (or, more commonly: Does she have to come tomorrow?/

• Will she have to come tomorrow?)

1a. Absence of necessity. It is expressed by the negative forms of ‘need’ and ‘to have to’

• Present reference:

• You don’t need to water the flowers. (need – a regular verb)/You needn’t water the flowers. (need – a modal verb)/You don’t have to water the flowers. = It is not necessary to do something./It is unnecessary to do something.

Confer:

He doesn’t have to get up early on Sundays. Ему не приходится/не надо/не нужно рано вставать по воскресеньям; He doesn’t need to get up early on Sundays. Ему не надо/не нужно рано вставать по воскресеньям. He needn’t get up early on Sunday. Ему не надо/не нужно рано вставать в воскресенье.	doesn’t have to get up - the absence of necessity is based on external circumstances doesn’t need to get up - не надо/не нужно; the regular verb ‘need’ is more common for the habitual action or to talk about general necessity or to talk about the particular occasion needn’t get up – the speaker gives the authority/permission for non-performance of the action. The modal verb ‘need’ is more common only for one particular occasion
You needn’t cut the grass, I’ll do it later. You don’t need to cut the grass, I’ll do it later. You needn’t do the cleaning, I’ll do it tomorrow. You don’t need do the cleaning, I’ll do it tomorrow.	We can use ‘needn’t’ or ‘don’t need to’ to say that something is not necessary for the particular occasion. The speaker gives the permission not to do something.
You don’t need to be 18 to get into a disco/ discotheque. You needn’t be 18 to get into a disco/discotheque.	To talk about a general necessity, we prefer ‘don’t need to’

(Note: Чтобы позволить кому-то не делать чего-либо в некоторой конкретной ситуации, можно использовать оба сочетания ‘needn’t' и ‘don’t need to’.

В том случае, когда речь идет о некоторой общей закономерности, лучше использовать don’t need to.

• You needn’t dust the floor now. I’ll do it later./You don’t need to dust the floor now. I’ll do it later. Тебе не обязательно сейчас мести пол. Я сделаю это потом.

• In many countries people don’t need to boil water before they drink it. Во многих странах нет необходимости кипятить воду перед тем, как ее пьешь. (здесь лучше не использовать needn’t)).

Past reference:

• I didn’t need to buy this book. (need – a regular verb)/I didn’t have to buy this book. = It was not necessary to do something in the past, and it wasn’t done. (= I didn’t buy the book.) Мне не пришлось/не надо было покупать эту книгу.

• I needn’t have bought this book. (need – a modal verb) = We think something that was done is not necessary. (= I did buy the book. / It wasn’t necessary for me to buy this book but I did.) Я зря купил эту книгу.

• She didn’t need to fill in an application form. (It wasn’t necessary for her to do it, and we don’t know whether she did it or not.) Ей не надо было заполнять бланк заявления.

• You needn’t have taken so much luggage with you. (You did although it wasn’t necessary.) Ты зря взял так много багажа с собой.

Confer:

I didn’t have to cook breakfast because my sister had done it for me. Мне не пришлось готовить завтрак, так как моя сестра уже приготовила его. I didn’t need to cook breakfast because my sister had done it for me. Мне не надо было готовить завтрак, так как моя сестра уже приготовила его.	didn’t have to cook – the action was unnecessary and it didn’t take place. didn’t need to cook – the action was unnecessary and it didn’t take place as it was known at the time that the action was not necessary + or, on the other hand, the action was unnecessary but we don’t know whether it was in fact done or not unless you are given more information.
I needn’t have said it to them. Then they would never have known. Я зря сказала им это./Мне не надо было говорить им это. Тогда они никогда бы не узнали об этом.	needn’t have said – the action was unnecessary but it was carried out. /We know that something happened in the past although it was not necessary.

Note 1: In Interrogative sentences ‘need’ is used when there is a strong element of negation or doubt or when the speaker expects a negative answer.

• Need she go there?

• Need I help you?

Note 2: In Negative sentences the negation is not always combined with the verb, but may be expressed by other parts of the sentence.

• I don’t think we need mention him at all.

• I need hardly say that I agree with you. (= It is almost unnecessary for me to say that

I agree with you; formal context)

• Cf.: I hardly need to say that I agree with you. (less formal context)

• I need scarcely point out that there is a water shortage at the moment. (= It is almost unnecessary for me to point out that there is a water shortage at the moment; formal context)

• Cf.: I scarcely need to point out that there is a water shortage at the moment; less formal context

• The changes need only be small to make the proposals acceptable. (- formal context) Cf.: The changes only need to be small to make the proposals acceptable; less formal context

Note 3: In Indirect Speech ‘needn’t do’ (absence of necessity) can remain unchanged or can be replaced by didn’t need to do/didn’t have to do (present reference) or wouldn’t have to (future reference);

‘needn’t have done’ remains unchanged

The teacher said, “You needn’t come.” “You needn’t prepare so much food for tomorrow,” Fiona said to me. “You needn’t have given me so much money,” John said to Helen.

The teacher said that we needn’t come. / The teacher said that we didn’t need to come. / The teacher said that we didn’t have to come. Fiona said that I wouldn’t have to prepare so much food for the next day. John told Helen that she needn’t have given him so much money.

2. ‘need + to-Infinitive’; ‘need + -ing form’

• The regular verb ‘need’ is followed by the Infinitive only if a living being is the subject.

• John and his brother need to paint the house.

• My friend needs to learn Spanish.

• He will need to drive alone tonight.

• If a lifeless thing (an inanimate object) is the subject of this verb, the verb is followed by a gerund or the verb to be + Participle II. (the -ing form has a passive meaning)

• The grass needs cutting. or The grass needs to be cut.

• The television needs repairing. or The television needs to be repaired.

• The carpet needs cleaning. or The carpet needs to be cleaned.

• The flowers need watering. or The flowers need to be watered.