0 a verb, such as "can", "might", and "must", that is used with another verb to express an idea such as possibility that is not expressed by the main verb of a sentence:
1 used to describe the number or value which appears most often in a particular set:
Another useful verb, need, turns out to be both ordinary and modal.
The themes are: first, critical assessment must start from subjects' understanding; second, a modal fallacy; and third, fallacies of distribution.
The technologies developed to address these newly modal medical problems tended not to work as effectively.
Figure 3 compares the relative amount of two different dimensions of modality out of all the modal expressions analysed for the expository texts.
This has led us to the conclusion that only declarative (but possibly modal) expressions can constitute subordinate finites.
As an analogical change, this would have been supported by the parallel use of modals and be in ellipsis contexts and with overt infinitives.
Modality is about a speaker’s or a writer’s attitude towards the world. A speaker or writer can express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity and ability by using modal words and expressions.
Here are the main verbs we use to express modal meanings:
There are a number of other words and expressions in English, apart from the main modal verbs, which also express modal meanings.
Core modal verbs have only one form. They have no to-infinitive form, -ing form, past form or -ed form. We have to reword what we want to say by using other expressions:
