MODAL VERBS CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, SHOULD , MUST, OUGHT TO, WILL, SHALL, WOULD, NEED.

Além desses verbos modais autênticos, há cinco verbos e expressões que podem funcionar da mesma forma BE ABLE TO HAVE TO NEED (to) HAD BETTER USED TO A principal característica dos verbos modais é terem frequentemente significados e funções distintas.

CAN Habilidade, capacidade, ou aptidão no presente = to be able to ( cannot ou can´t) Can you swim? He is able to play piano Capacidade no futuro: will be able to One day I will be able to travel to the moon

COULD Habilidade, capacidade, ou aptidão num passado amplo,geral=was /were able to He could play the piano when he was a little boy He could swim very well.(was able to) Once he was able to swim from Rio to Niteroi. ( não pode usa could aqui) Negativa – could not / couldn´t

CAN-(COULD) /MAY (MIGHT) Permissão: formal – may informal - can Negar permissão- may not ( enfática, quase uma proibição) cannot ou can´t – informal. You may not read that letter.It´s mine. You can/may take the car He said that I could/might take car.

MAY- MIGHT Probabilidade: pode, é provável.. Might indica um grau de probabilidade menor que may. You may become a great pianist. I might give you a job. Negativa: may not / might not I may need help / Anne said he might need help.

SHOULD – OUGHT TO Obrigação moral, dever de consciência, conselho ou recomendação Indicam o que é certo fazer ( devia, deve); Ought to é um pouco mais enfático quando a idéia é de dever. As a citizian you ought to pay taxes. Had better (´d better)+infin sem to: é melhor, é conveniente.... ( conselho pessoal) And I had better do it soon ( E é melhor eu fazer isso logo)

MUST Indica uma obrigação forte, necessidade absoluta, ou uma recomendação urgente; Expressões usadas com o mesmo sentido: have to e have got to I must / have to/ have got to do it now! Must não tem forma passado e futuro Yesterday I had to work until late. Tomorrow I will have to work until late.

MUST - SHOULD You must / have to/ have got to eat . Food is essential to life. ( tem que - necessidade / ordem) You ought to /shoud eat fruit. It´s good for you. ( deve / devia – conselho)

MUSTN´T - CAN´T They have 3 cars. They must be rich ( devem) Compare: DEDUÇÃO LÓGICA / CONCLUSÃO They have 3 cars. They must be rich ( devem) Compare: No, they can´t be rich. ( não podem) Both man and wife are school teachers...

Não confundir... ♦I used to have coffee without sugar. ( hábito no passado- costumava tomar café assim, mas agora toma com açúcar). ♦ I am used to having coffee without sugar. (hábito no presente- estou acostumado ) ♦ I got used to having coffee without sugar during the war. (peguei o costume, me acostumei) ♦

Bibliografia GRANGER,G.;BEAUMONT,D.1992.English grammar:An intermediate reference and practice book.London: Heinemann. _____________________________ Giselda S. Costa E-mail -giseldacostas@hotmail.com