- •Предисловие
- •Modal Verbs
- •Summary of Functions of Modal Verbs
- •4. Request
- •Very polite requests:
- •6. Offer
- •7. Suggestion
- •Exercises
- •In Reported speech:
- •3. Request (may I ..., might I ..., may we ..., might we ...)
- •Is he likely to…?’, ‘Is it likely that he …?’, ‘Do you think…’
- •5. Reproach, disapproval, criticism.
- •7. ’Might’ expresses unreality in Conditional sentences
- •Exercises
- •3. Must
- •2. Prohibition; refusing permission
- •6. Notice the following set phrases with ‘must’:
- •7. ‘Must’ in Indirect Speech
- •Exercises
- •4. Should 5. Ought to
- •Exercises
- •6. To have to
- •Exercises
- •3. A strict prohibition.
- •5. Possibility
- •Exercises
- •8. Need
- •1. Necessity or absence of necessity
- •3. Confer:
- •Exercises
- •9. Shall
- •Exercises
- •10. Will
- •3. Promise
- •Exercises
- •11. Would
- •I wonder if you would mind if... (formal request)
- •Exercises
- •12. Dare
- •Exercises
- •Revision
- •It’s likely that they will buy a new house. They’ll probably buy a new
- •Answer key
- •3. Must
- •4. Should 5. Ought to
- •6. To have to
- •8. Need
- •9. Shall
- •10. Will
- •11. Would
- •12. Dare
- •Reference list
- •Contents
- •Модальные глаголы
- •634041, Томск, ул. Герцена, 49. Тел.(3822) 52-12-93.
4. Request
We use ‘can/could + the Indefinite Infinitive’
Request is found in interrogative sentences. When you want to tell somebody to do something or to ask somebody to help you, you can use:
can you …, can I … (in informal situations);
could you…, could I … (is polite).
Very polite requests:
Can I (possibly) use your phone?
Could I (possibly) use your phone?
Do you think I could/might use your phone?
I wonder if I could/might use your phone? (‘possibly’ is commonly added to make requests more polite.)
Can you tell me the time? - Certainly.
Could you show me how to do it? – Of course I can. (not: - Of course
Icould.)Can I possibly make a copy of this story? – No, you can’t, I’m afraid.
Can/Could I borrow your pen? – Of course you can./No, you can’t. (not: – No,
youcouldn’t.)Could you possibly give me a lift? – I’m afraid I can’t at the moment.
Could you possibly switch on the light?
Excuse me! Could you help me? – Sure./Of course./Well, I’m a bit busy at the moment.
Do you think you could help me? (Requests may be hesitant – колеблющийся; нерешительный, сомневающийся)
I wonder if you could look after my dog while I’m away.
5. Prohibition (it is found in negative sentences as prohibition may be understood as the negation of permission – not to be allowed to...) It corresponds to the Russian нельзя, не надо.
We use ‘can/could + the Indefinite Infinitive’
You can’t cross the street here. (= you are not allowed to cross…) Здесь нельзя переходить улицу.
Can we stay here? – No, I’m afraid you can’t. (= you are not allowed to stay…)
You can’t wear jeans at work. (= you aren’t allowed to wear …)
They couldn’t wear jeans at work. (= they weren’t allowed to…)
You cannot play football in the street. (i.e. you have no right)
You can’t cross the street here.
Women can’t drive in some Arab countries. (= they aren’t allowed to drive…)
Cf.:
Request: Can/Could you discuss the subject with your friends? Вы не могли бы обсудить этот вопрос со своими друзьями?
Asking for permission: Can/Could I discuss the subject with my friends? Можно мне обсудить вопрос с моими друзьями?
Permission: You can discuss the subject with your friends. Можете обсудить вопрос со своими друзьями.
Prohibition: You can’t discuss the subject with your friends. Нельзя обсуждать (не обсуждайте) этот вопрос с вашими друзьями.
Cf.:
Ability: Can he spell? Умеет ли он грамотно писать?
Request: Can/Could you spell your name for me? Продиктуйте вашу фамилию по буквам.
Asking for permission: Can/Could I spell this word for you? Можно я вам это слово по буквам продиктую?