- •English grammar
- •Билет №1 Simple Sentence (ss)
- •Билет №2 The Principal Parts of the Sentence
- •It as the subject of the sentence
- •The Compound Verbal Predicate
- •Mixed types of predicate
- •Билет №3 Secondary parts
- •Independent Parts of the Sentence
- •Билет №4 The Gerund
- •General description of verbals;
- •General characteristics of the g.;
- •The functions of the g. In the sentence
- •Билет №5 The Infinitive
- •Билет №6 Тhe Participle
- •Билет №7 Predicative Constructions with the Verbals
- •Infinitive Constructions
- •Билет №8 The Compound Sentence
- •Билет №9 The Complex Sentence. Nominal Clauses the plan
- •1.Nominal clause
- •2. Subject clause
- •3. Predicative clause
- •4. Object clause
- •It was appropriate that the guests wore evening dresses
- •Билет №10 The Complex Sentence. Attributive Clauses
- •Билет №11 The Complex Sentence. Adverbial Clauses
- •Билет №12 Tense and Aspect. Indefinite and Continuous
- •The Present Indefinite Tense
- •I Habitual Actions (the core uses of the Pr. Ind.)
- •II Actions going on at the moment of speaking (“momentary present”)
- •III Future actions
- •IV Past Actions
- •Билет №13 Tense and Aspect. Perfect and Perfect Continuous
- •Билет №14 Voice. The Passive Voice
- •Билет №15 Mood. The Subjunctive Mood
- •I wish you’d come oftener to see us. / я хотела бы, чтобы вы почаще заходили.
- •Билет №16 The use of the Subjunctive Mood in conditional sentences
- •Билет №17 Modal verbs. Can, may and their equivalents
- •General description of m.V.; their peculiarities (see №18)
- •Can/could
- •May/might
- •Билет №18 Modal verbs. Must, have to, be to and their equivalents
- •Билет №19 Modal verbs. Should, would, shall, will, dare, need
Билет №17 Modal verbs. Can, may and their equivalents
(C) ESP
THE PLAN:
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General description of m.V.; their peculiarities (see №18)
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Can/could
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May/might
MODAL VERB; form of infinitive |
MEANING; FUNCTION sentence type |
EXAMPLES |
NOTES; RESTRICTIONS |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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) |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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?..) |
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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.