![]() "I may take more pictures." (This is a direct quote) When speakers are about 50 percent sure, they will use the modals may, might, or could as in "I may be sick. If they are mostly sure, say 95 percent, they will use the modal must, as in, "I must be sick." Grammar expert Betty Azar explains that these modals tell us how sure speakers are about what they are saying.Ī person who is 100 percent sure uses the verb be, as in, "I am sick." Today we will look at how we use these modals to express how certain, or sure, you are of something.ĭegrees of certainty in the present and past They have multiple meanings and sometimes overlap in ways that are confusing to English learners. Modal verbs (called modals for short) are auxiliary verbs that express a speaker’s attitude and the strength of that attitude. This week's Everyday Grammar looks at how to use the modals may, must and might. For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
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