Verbs

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs help speakers tell their feelings (moods) about certain activities. One speaker can think a certain activity is a necessity, while another might feel it is simply a good idea, and a third might see the same activity as an option. Think of children whose parents have told them to clean their room: not all children feel the same level of compulsion about the task, and one might say "We must clean our room," showing he/she has developed a sense of obligation, requirement or necessity to obey the parent. A second can respond with "Yes, we should clean the room," which shows a lower level of compulsion; now it's a really good idea, an advisable thing to do, but not absolutely required. The third child may say "Yes, we could clean the room, or we could finish playing this game of Monopoly first," showing the third child sees the activity of cleaning the room one available option among others at the present time.