Modal Auxiliaries - Vocabulary Flashcards (Grade 9 Anglophone-American Literature)

Vocabulary flashcards covering modal auxiliaries, their uses in permission, obligation, and prohibition, and related concepts from the lesson.

Modal auxiliary (modal verb)

A helping verb that expresses the speaker's mode or attitude and is used to express permission, obligation, prohibition, and other meanings.

Can

Used to express ability and informal permission; also used to ask for permission (e.g., You can sit here).

May

A more formal way to ask for and give permission.

Could

Used to ask for permission; cannot be used to give permission; more formal and polite than can.

Must

Expresses strong obligation or necessity; obligation can come from the speaker or an authority.

Have to

Expresses external obligation—the obligation comes from outside the speaker.

Can't

Cannot; used to talk about something that is not allowed or goes against the rules.

Mustn't

Not permitted; prohibition; often used on signs or notices when the speaker prohibits.

External vs Internal obligation

External obligation (have to) comes from outside the speaker; internal obligation (must) comes from the speaker.

Hypothetical permission

Permission imagined for discussion (e.g., telling someone they have hypothetical permission to attend a meeting).

Permission

Allowance to do something; expressed with modal auxiliaries such as can, may, or could.

Prohibition

Not allowed; expressed with can't or mustn't.