Lecture 12: Mood and Modality

 Mood: types
 Modal verbs
 Semi-modal verbs

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MOOD: TYPES

 The different ways in which the meaning of a sentence varies can be accomplished by altering
the order of words or by adding other words to the verb group.
 E.g., the use of various modal verbs can bring new meaning to the same sentence.
 Sentences can be used to do many different things
 The most common use is to give info.
 I went to UKM University.
 He was one of my brother's best friends.
 Sometimes u use a sentence to obtain info, rather than to give it.
 Where is Nabila?
 What did you say to Samila?
 How long have you been out of this country?
 At other times u want to express an opinion, give an order, make a suggestion, or make a promise.
 That's an excellent idea.
 Go away, all of you.
 Shall we listen to the news?
 If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

 Often it is order of words which indicates which way a sentence is being used.
 For example, if you say 'He is Malaysian', the word order makes it clear that you are making a
statement.
 If you say 'Is he Malaysian?', the word order indicates that you are asking a question.
 Another way of indicating which way a sentence is being used is to begin it with a verb, rather
than with the subject.
 For example, if you say 'Give this book to him', it is clear that you are giving an order or
instruction, rather than making a statement or asking a question.
 These ways of distinguishing between uses of language are examples of mood.
 The main clause of every sentence is in a particular mood.
 Mood refers to distinctions in form of verb that express the attitude of speaker to what is said.
 There are 3 main moods in English:
1. the declarative mood
2. the interrogative mood
3. the imperative mood.

1. Declarative mood
 The mood used in most main clauses.
 Statements are almost always made using the declarative mood.
 When a clause is in this mood, the subject is placed in front of the verb.
 The declarative mood is sometimes called the indicative mood
 The declarative mood is used for giving info.
 We ate dinner at six.
 They like reading poetry.
 For expressing an opinion, we usually use the declarative mood.
 I think she is a brilliant writer.
 It's a good thing Father is deaf.
 He ought to have let me know he was going out.
 When we make a promise, we can use the declarative mood.
 I shall do everything I can to help you.
 I'll have it sent down by special delivery.
 u can emphasize a statement by putting 'do', 'does', or 'did' in front of the base form of verb
 I do feel sorry for these two students.
 A little knowledge does seem to be a dangerous thing.
 He had no time or energy to play with his children or talk with his wife, but he did bring
home a regular salary.
2. Interrogative mood
 The mood usually used in questions.
 In clauses in this mood, the subject is often placed after the main verb or after an auxiliary
verb.
 There are 2 main types of question: Yes/No questions & wh-questions.

 Questions which can be answered by 'yes' or 'no' are called 'yes/no' questions.
 Is he your only child?—Yes.
 Are you planning to get married next year?'—'No.'
 Can I help you?'—'Yes, I'd like to book a single room, please.'
 'Are you interested in facing?'—'Yes, I love it.'
 'Are you a singer as well as an actress?'—'No, I'm not a singer at all.' ‘
 Did you go through?'—'No, I didn't bother.'
 The actual answer to a 'yes/no'-question is not always 'yes' or 'no'.
 E.g., if u ask someone 'Do you read in bed?', they might say 'Sometimes' or 'Never'.
 If u say to someone 'Do you like Michael Jackson?', they might say 'I think he's wonderful'.
 But the questions 'Do you read in bed?' & 'Do you like Michael Jackson?' are still 'yes/no'-
question, because 'yes' & 'no' are the kind of answers the questioner expects.
 'Sometimes' will be interpreted as a weak 'yes' answer, 'never' as a strong 'no' answer, and 'I think
he's wonderful' as a strong 'yes' answer.

 The other main type of question begins with a 'wh'-word such as 'what', 'where', or 'when'.
 When we ask a question of this type, the answer can’t be 'yes' or 'no'.
 ‘Who is he?'—'A man called Sen Lin.'
 'Why didn't you ask me?'—'I was afraid to.'
 'Where is he now?'—'He's at university.'
 This type of question is called a 'wh'-question.
 When 'wh'-words are used as pronouns or adverbs at the beginning of a 'wh'-question, they’re
called interrogative pronouns or interrogative adverbs.
Position of auxiliary verbs in yes/no questions

1 In a 'yes/no'-question, if there’s an auxiliary verb, the auxiliary verb comes first, followed by the
subject, then the main verb.
 Are you staying here, by any chance?
 Has Mary Jane slept here?
 Will they like this programme?
 Can he read yet?

2 If there’s > 1 auxiliary verb, the first auxiliary verb comes at the beginning of the clause, followed
by the subject, followed by the other verbs.
 Has he been murdered?
 Has it been thrown away, perhaps?

3 If there is no auxiliary verb, put 'do', 'does', or 'did' at the beginning of the clause, in front of the
subject, followed by the base form of the main verb.
 Do you understand what I'm saying?
 Does it hurt much? Did you meet George in France?
Note
If the main verb is 'do', put 'do', 'does', or 'did' at the beginning of the clause, in front of the subject
 Do they do the work themselves?
 Does David do this sort of thing often?

4 If the verb is 'be', don’t use 'do', but simply put the verb at the beginning of the clause, followed
by the subject.
 Are you okay? Is she Audrey's sister?
 Am I right? Was it lonely without us?

5 If the verb is 'have', put 'do', 'does' or 'did' at the beginning of the clause, in front of the subject.
 Do they have laptops?
 Does anyone have a question?
 Did you have a good flight?
6 However, when u use 'have' in the sense of 'own' or 'possess', u don’t need to use 'do', 'does', or
'did'.
 u can simply put 'have', 'has', or 'had' at the beginning of the clause.
 This is a slightly formal use.
 Have we anything else we ought to talk about first?
 Has he any idea what it's like?

7 If u use 'have got' or 'has got' in a 'yes/no'-question, u put 'have' or 'has' at the beginning of the
clause, followed by the subject, followed by 'got'.
 Have you got any brochures on this island?
 Has she got a car?

 u can ask for confirmation that something is true by making a statement in the declarative mood,
then adding an expression such as 'isn't it?' or 'was she?'.
 Constructions like these are called tag questions.
 u add a -tive expression such as 'isn't it?' to a +tive statement, & a +tive expression such as 'was
she?' to a -tive statement.
 When you add a -tive expression to a +tive statement, u expect the answer 'yes'.
 When you add a +tive expression to a -tive statement, u expect the answer 'no'.
 You don't always remember them, do you?'—'No.'
 'You are going to do this, aren't you?'—'Yes.' ‘
 We don't want these tables here like this, do we?'—'No, Dr Omer.'

 u sometimes ask a question in which you mention two or more possible answers.
 u link the possible answers with 'or'.
 E.g., u might say 'Is he awake or asleep?' or 'Do you like your coffee white or black?'
 u expect the actual answer to your question to be one of the answers u’ve mentioned.
 Words, word groups, & clauses can all be linked in this way.
 Questions like these are sometimes called 'either/or' question.
 'Is it a boy or a girl?'—'A beautiful boy.'
 'Was it healthy or diseased?'— 'Diseased, I'm afraid.'
 'Will you have your soft drink, or do you want dinner straight away?'—‘Soft drink. Make it
orange juice.'
Wh-question

 When u ask someone a 'wh'-question, u want them to specify a particular person, thing, place,
reason, method, or amount.
 u don’t expect them to answer 'yes' or 'no'.
 'Wh'-questions begin with a 'wh'-word.
 'Wh'-words are a set of pronouns, adverbs, & determiners which all, with the exception of 'how',
begin with 'wh-'.
 Here is a list of the main 'wh'-words: How, where, whom, whose, what, which, when, who, whose.

 When a 'wh'-word is the subject of a verb, or when it forms part of the subject, the word order of
the clause is the same as that of a clause in the declarative mood, i.e. the subject is put first,
followed by the verb.
 Who invited you?
 And then what happened?
 Which book is the best?

 When a 'wh'-word is the object of a verb or preposition, or when it forms part of the object, or
when it is an adverb, the position of the subject is the usual one in the interrogative mood; that is
it comes after the first verb in the clause.
 What am I going to do without you?
 Which graph are you going to use?
 Why has he written this?
 When would you be coming down?

 If u’re using the simple present tense or the simple past tense of any verb except 'be', put 'do',
'does', or 'did' in front of the subject.
 What do you really think?
 Which department do you want?
 When did you last see Hanis Amira?
 Where does she live?
 How do you know?
 If u’re using the simple present tense or the simple past tense of 'be', the main verb goes in front
of the subject.
 Where is the station?
 How was your meeting?
 When was the last time you posted on Facebook?

 In conversation, a 'wh'-question sometimes consists of a 'wh'-word on its own.

 For example, if you say to someone 'I'm learning to type', they might say 'Why?', meaning 'Why
are you learning to type?'.
 'He saw a snake.'—'Where?'
 'I have to go to KL.'—'When?' ‘
 I knew you were not here last week.'—'How?'

 A 'wh'-question can also consist of a noun group containing a 'wh'-word.

 A: 'I gave your book to that girl',
B: 'Which girl?', = 'Which girl did you give my book to?'.
 'He knew my cousin.'—'Which cousin?' = ……
 'Who was your friend?'—'What friend?’ = ….
1) Who
 The pronoun 'who' is used to ask questions about a person's identity. 'Who' can be the subject
or object of a verb.
 Who discovered this?
 Who were absent last week?
 Who are you expecting?

2) Whom
 In more formal English, 'whom' is sometimes used instead of 'who' as the object of a verb.
 Whom shall we call?
 Whom did you see?

 'Who' & 'whom' can also be the object of a preposition.

 When 'who' is the object of a preposition, the preposition is put at the end of the clause.
 Who did you dance with?
 Who do I pay this to?
 When 'whom' is the object of a preposition, the preposition is put at the beginning of the clause, in
front of 'whom'.
 For whom were they supposed to do it?
 To whom is a broadcaster responsible?

3) Whose
 'Whose' is used as a determiner or pronoun to ask which person something belongs to or is
associated with.
 Whose babies did you think they were?
 Whose body was it?
 Whose is that?
4) Whose
 'Which' is used as a pronoun or determiner to ask someone to identify a specific person or
thing out of a no. of people or things.
 Which is the best restaurant?
 Which is her room?
 Which do you like best?
 Which doctor do you want to see after the final exams?
 When 'which' is a determiner, it can be part of the object of a preposition.
 The preposition is usually put at the end of the question.
 Which station did you come from?
 Which land will they have passed over?

5) When
 'When' is used to ask questions about the time something happened, happens, or will happen.
 When did you find her?
 When do we have a trip?
 Gan, when are you going to Hydro hotel?

6) Where
 'Where' is used to ask questions about place, position, or direction.
 Where does she live?
 Where are you going after this lecture?
 Where do you go to complain about Chomsky?

7) Why
 ‘Why' is sometimes used without a subject & with the base form of a verb, usually to ask why
an action is or was necessary.
 Why wake me up?
 Why bother about me?
 Why make a point of it?
 'Why not' can be used with the base form of a verb, in order to make a suggestion or to ask
why a particular action has not been taken.
 Why not end it now?
 Why not read a book?
 If it was Ali, then why not say so?
8) How
 'How' is usually used to ask about the method used for doing something, or about the way in
which something can be achieved.
 How do we open it?
 How are you going to get that?
 How did he know when you were coming?
 ‘How' is also used to ask questions about the way a person feels, about the way someone or
something looks, or about the way something sounds, feels, or tastes.
 How are you feeling today?
 'How do I look?'—'Very nice.'
 How did you feel when you stood up in front of the class?
 'How many' & 'how much' are used to ask what number of things there are or what amount of
something there is.
 'How many' is followed by a plural count noun.
 How many people are there?
 How many languages can you speak?
 How many times have you been?
 'How much' is followed by an uncount noun.
 How much money have we got in the bank?
 'How many' and 'how much' can be used without a following noun when you do not need to
make it clear what sort of thing you are talking about.
 How many did you find?
 How much did he tell you?
 How much does it cost?
 'How long' is used to ask about the length of a period of time.
 How long have you lived here?
 How long will it take?
 How long ago was that?
 'How long' is also used to ask questions about distance, although this use is less common.
 How long is the side of that triangle there?
 'How far' is used in questions about distance and extent.
 How far is it to Johor from here?
 How far have you got with your homework?
 You can combine 'how' with an adjective when you are asking to what extent something has a
particular quality or feature.
 How old are your children?
9) What
 'What' can be a pronoun or determiner, or it can be used in combination with 'if' or 'for'.
 'What' is used as a pronoun to find out various kinds of specific info, for example details of an
event, the meaning of a word or expression, or the reason for something.
 What's wrong with his assignment?
 What has happened to him?
 What is your dream?
 What keeps you hanging around here?
 What can they do to get A in LET104?
 'What' can be used to ask someone's opinion of something.
 What do you think about the present political situation?
 'What' is often used as the object of a preposition.
 The preposition usually goes at the end of the question.
 What are you interested in?
 What did he die of?
 What do you want to talk about?
 'What' is used as a determiner to find out the identity of something or to ask what kind of
thing it is.
 What books does she read?
 What movies genre you like?
 What book did you read last week?
 'What if' goes in front of the clause to ask what should be done if a particular difficulty
occurs.
 What if it's really bad weather?
 What if they didn't want to part with it, what would you do then?
 u put 'what' at the beginning of a question & 'for' at the end of it when u want to know the
reason for something or the purpose of something. 'What are you staring for?' means the
same as 'Why are you staring?'.

'Whatever', 'Wherever', and 'Whoever'

 If u want a question to sound more emphatic, u can use 'whatever' instead of 'what', 'wherever'
instead of 'where', or 'whoever' instead of 'who'.
 Whatever is the matter?
 Wherever did you get this?
 Whoever heard of Emily Bronte?
3. Imperative mood
 The mood used to tell someone to do something.
 In clauses, the subject is usually omitted & the base form of the verb is used.
 Give him a good book on grammar.
 Show me the complete essay.

A. Orders and instructions

 When someone gives a very clear order or instruction, they usually use the imperative mood.
 Stop her.
 Put that gun down.
 Tell your mother as soon as possible.
 Written instructions are given in the imperative mood.
 Boil up a little water with washing up liquid in it.
 Fry the chopped onion and pepper in the oil.
 An order can be made more forceful by putting 'you' in front of the verb.
 You get in the car.
 You shut up!

B. Advice and warnings

 You can use the imperative mood when you are giving advice or a warning.
 Be sensible.
 You be careful.
 Often advice or a warning is expressed in a negative form.
 u form a -tive imperative by putting 'don't' or 'do not' in front of the base form of the verb.
 Don't be afraid of them.
 Don't be discouraged.
 Do not move out of your home without getting legal advice.
 u can also form a -tive imperative by putting 'never' in front of the base form of a verb.
 Never open the front door without looking through the peephole.
 Another way of giving advice or a warning is to use one of the modals 'should' or 'ought to' in
a declarative sentence.
 You should get to know him better.
 You shouldn't keep these in the refrigerator.
MODAL VERBS

 Language isn’t always used to exchange info by making simple statements & asking questions
 Sometimes we want to make requests, offers, or suggestions, or to express our wishes or
intentions.
 We may want to be polite or tactful, or to indicate our feelings about what we’re saying.
 We can do all these things by using a set of verbs called modals.
 Modals are always used with other verbs.
 They are a special kind of auxiliary verb.
 Modals are sometimes called modal verbs or modal auxiliaries
 Modals are mainly used when u want to indicate ur attitude towards what u’re saying, or when
u’re concerned about the effect of what u’re saying on the person u’re speaking or writing to.
 They can be used to express attitude towards info, intentions & people.
 He must be the oldest person in the village.
 I can’t go without him.
 Would you open the door?

 Modals have special uses in 3 kinds of complex sentence:

1. They are used in reported clauses

• Mardhiah dropped a hint that she might come.

• I felt that I would like to wake her up.

2. They are used in conditional structures

• If he had known that she was sick, he would have given her a second test
• If only things had been different, she would have been far happier with George.

3. They are used in purpose clauses.

• He stole under the very noses of the store detectives in order that he might be arrested
and punished.
• They marched us through the town, so that they could say to the people, 'Look at the great
British army.'
Special features of modals

1. Modals are followed by the base form of a verb.

• I must leave fairly soon.
• I think it will be rather nice.

2. Modals do not inflect. This means there’s no '-s' form in the 3rd person singular, & there are no '-
ing' or 'ed' forms.

• There's nothing I can do about it.

• I am sure he can do it.
• I must leave fairly soon.
• She insisted that Jim must leave.

3. Negatives are formed by putting a negative word such as 'not' immediately after the modal. In the
case of 'ought to', put the -tive word after 'ought'.

• 'Can not' is usually written as one word, 'cannot'.

• You must not worry.
• He ought not to nave done.
• I cannot go back.

4. Questions are formed by putting the modal in front of the subject. In the case of 'ought to', put
'ought' in front of the subject & 'to' after it.

• Could you give me an example?

• Ought you to make some notes about it?
• Mightn't it surprise people?
• Why could they not leave her alone?
• There are many questions we cannot answer, but must we not at least ask them?

5. Modals are used in question tags. With a -tive tag, the shortened form of the -tive is used.
• They can't all be right, can they?
• You won't forget the canary, will you?
• It would be handy, wouldn't it?
• It'll give you time to think about it, won't it?
6. In spoken English, when 'will' and 'would' are used after a pronoun, they’re often shortened to '-'ll'
& '-'d' & added to the pronoun.

• I hope you'll agree.

• She'll be all right.

7. ‘Will' & 'would' cannot be shortened like this when they are used on their own, without a
following verb. For example, you can say 'Paul said he would come, and I hope he will', but u
can’t say 'Paul said he would come, and I hope he'll'.

Uses of Modal Verbs

Use Examples

Ability You can sit read and write.

(ability & skill) Some people can ski better than others.
He cannot dance

Likelihood: assumptions Those of you who are familiar with the game will know this.
Most listeners will have heard of hormones.

Likelihood: certainty Even an illiterate person would understand that.

Few people would agree with this as a general principle.
A picnic wouldn't be any fun without you.

Likelihood: belief Oh, you must be Jane's husband.

Fashion must account for a small percentage of sales.
This article must have been written by a woman.

Likelihood: possibility His route from the bus stop might be the same as yours.
Don’t include this in your essay because it could be wrong.

Likelihood: strong possibility You might well be right

Likelihood: impossibility That mightn’t be true.

Permission You can do your oral presentation on modal verbs.

Unacceptability: Prohibition We're awfully sorry we can't let you stay here.
The deadline can’t be extended.
You may not sell this book. (More formal)
Unacceptability: Undesirable You should not take her help for granted.
actions You shouldn't do that.
You shouldn't be so unfriendly.

Instructions & requests Can I ask a question?

Could you just switch the projector on behind you? (more polite)

Request (more formal) May we have something to eat?

May I ask what your name is?
Might I inquire if you are the owner?

Offer or an invitation Can I help you with the dishes? (offer)

Will you stay for lunch?
Wouldn't you care for some more coffee? (more persuasive)
You must visit me. (more persuasive invitation)

Suggestions You could start with Chapter One.

Intention I will call you later.

unwillingness I won’t allow you to do your assignment on this topic.

Note: There several more uses of modal verbs.

 How can we express ability in the future? Can we use can and could.

 You cannot use 'can' or 'could' to say that someone or something will have a particular ability
in the future. Instead you use 'be able to' or 'be possible to'.

 'Be able to' and 'be possible to' can also be used to talk about someone's ability to do
something in the present or the past.
SEMI-MODAL VERBS

♠ The verbs ‘need’ & ‘dare’ are called semi-modals because they behave like modal auxiliaries &
sometimes like lexical verbs.

♠ They share some features with lexical verbs.

♠ Moreover, they share some other features with modals.

♠ The following points discuss these shared features:

1. Like lexical verbs, they’ve the feature of number agreement with the subject. This occurs in
+tive clauses as in “He needs to do it”.

2. Like lexical verbs, semi-modals frequently form -tive & interrogative with the auxiliary ‘do’
as in “He does not need to do it”.

3. Like modals, semi-modals can form -tive & interrogative clauses without ‘do’.
• He need not do it.
• Dare he do it?

4. Finally, unlike a modal auxiliary but like a lexical verb, ‘need’ & ‘dare’ can be preceded by a
modal auxiliary as in ‘He might need to do it”. He wouldn’t dare do it.