Real Grammar - Susan Conrad, Douglas Biber 2009

Possibility Modals
Unit 11 I might go to Japan

What have you learned from your grammar textbook?

Modals show a speaker’s attitude toward what he or she is saying. Different modals express different meanings, such as whether something is possible or necessary. An individual modal can also express different meanings depending on context. For example, can has the following meanings and functions:

A

What does the corpus show?

The modals can, could, might, may all express the meaning that something is possible. But some of these modals are also used to express ability, ask permission, or make a request. Here are some of their most common uses in conversation and writing.

B

Be careful! In conversation, may is rarely used to ask permission. Most people use can or could to ask permission. Could is more polite than can.

• Can I leave this here somewhere?  •

Could I leave this here somewhere?

Activities

1 Notice in context: Read the conversation and the paragraph from an academic text. Circle the possibility modals in both.

1. Conversation: Two friends looking for something to eat.

Jane: What else do you have in the kitchen? Can I just help myself?

Ann: Sure. There’s applesauce, grapes, and, well, that might be it.

Jane: Okay. We could go out to a restaurant, you know, and get something to eat.

2. Academic writing: About the potential benefits of computers in the classroom.

The speed of information processing of computers allows for thousands, even millions, of calculations each second. Computer programs can involve much more elaborate calculations than the teacher or the students can possibly complete in a class. The program may also simply do normal calculations for the teacher, thus freeing his attention for other matters in the classroom.

2 Analyze discourse: Look back at Activity 1 and at the modals you circled, write the function (ability, possibility, permission, or request) of each one in the margin. Draw an arrow between the modal and its function. Remember, some modals can have multiple functions.

3 Practice conversation: Read the conversation. Then invent lines to complete it. include a modal in each line. When you are finished, practice the conversation with a partner.

Jonathan and Danielle are in their car trying to follow directions on a map.

Jonathan: Which way do we go here?

Danielle: Well, looking at the map, we have two choices: we can take a right here and then take the highway or ...

Jonathan: Hold on, that doesn’t make sense.

danielle: Sure, here it is. You can try to figure it out.

Jonathan: This doesn’t seem right.

Danielle: No, this isn’t the wrong map. Wait, let me look at it.

Jonathan: Here is a gas station.

Danielle: OK, I’ll ask for directions, but I’m sure this is the right map.

4 Practice writing: Read the paragraph about a boy who is having trouble learning to read. Then write five possible reasons why Stephen still cannot read. After each one, suggest a possible way of solving the problem. Use the possibility modals can, could, might, and may in your responses.

Stephen is in the first grade, and he is the only student in his class who still cannot read simple words. His teacher has observed the following things: Stephen avoids bright lights; he cannot copy letters or pictures from the blackboard; he has no books to read at home; he is younger than most of the other students in his class; he has no sisters or brothers; and he is clumsy and does not like to take part in physical activities.

Example

Reason: Stephen may not have the same opportunities as the other students to read at home.

Suggestion: Perhaps, Stephen could practice with his parents at home.

1. ...

2. ...

3. ...

4. ...

5. ...