Using Example Sentences in a Linguistics Essay

Using Example Sentences in a Linguistics Essay

Modal verbs are a group of auxiliary verbs applied in expressing modality like obligation and possibility whereas verbs are doings words. According to Garner (810), the main difference between modal verbs and other verbs is the defectiveness since they lack participle and the ending –(e)s in the third person singular. Principle modal verbs include can, could, might, must, shall, should, would and will. Ought, need and dare among other verbs are also classified as modal verbs. Modal verbs possess unique features. These verbs cannot inflect unless they are connected to present-past pairs. Hence, they lack the –(e)s in the third-person singular. These verbs are defective and hence do not apply as infinitives and participles. They carry out the functions of the auxiliary verbs, as they possess the ability to undergo the auxiliary inversion. They can be negated by adding the appending of not after the verb. The verb ought lacks the principle features as it is governed by the to-infinitive instead of the bare infinitive. For instance,

1. He should go with you
2. He ought to go with you

Example (i) shows application of the principle modal verbs while (ii) shows application of the verb –ought to.

The verb used mostly expressed as used to behaves like a modal verb but often relied on the support –do that the support of the auxiliary- verb syntax. For example

• Did she used to do it?

1. She didn’t used to do it
2. Used she to do it?

Examples (iii) and (iv) are more commonly applied than (v).

Additionally, ought is applied in meaning related to should when there is a need to express a requirement and expectation. The major grammatical variation is that ought must be applied together with to-infinitive instead of the bare infinitive. Therefore,

1. The children should go to school

• The children ought to go to school

Sentences (vi) and (vii) are equal. Due to the syntax variation, ought is at times eliminated from the modal verbs and categorized as semi-modal. Therefore, ought to is applied similarly to should and negated in the same manner (Allerton, 102). For example:

• You ought not to take fresh milk is equivalent to

1. You should not take fresh milk.

The verb ought to, should and had better can be applied equivalently when expressing expedient behavior. For instance,

1. I had better work hard
2. You had better finish your work

(x) and (xi) can apply the stated verbs interchangeably when giving instructions.

The expression used to defines past states of habitual actions with the implication that the actions are no longer applicable. The verb used must be followed by the infinitive to. For instance,

1. I used to go to school

Sentence (a) implies that the speaker formally had the habit of going to college and is no longer the case. Even though used to fails to express modality, it is comparable with the modal auxiliaries as it is defective and invariant and hence can accept the auxiliary- verb syntax (Kroegler, 64). For example,

1. He used not to come here
2. He didn’t use to come here

Can be used interchangeably.

To note is that the verbal application of the expression used to should not be confused with the adjectival application implying ‘being familiar with’. For instance,

1. He used to play soccer
2. I am used to going to college

Sentence (a) and (b) should not be used interchangeably.

Modals are divided into epistemic, deontic, and dynamics modals. Auxiliary verbs ought and used have some features of the main verbs but are categorized as marginal due to the infinitive to it possesses in positive sentences and employ the word do in negative constructions. The phrase used to vary from the main modals as it is applied in relaying a habitual situation in the past. Ought to is also applied in stating a past obligation that mainly was not fulfilled. For example

1. You ought to have called me on time.

Sentence (i) shows that the auxiliary verb is applied in a past action, which was to be accomplished. When negating, the modal is affected whereas the verbs ought and used are not affected. These auxiliary verbs lack participle and the ending –(e)s in the third person singular. Therefore, a modal verb is a unique verb used in modification of a sentence. Unlike other modals, the auxiliary verb used and ought do not assumed the inflection –s in the singular third person, whereas the main modalities apply. Therefore, the purpose of a modality in a sentence is to depict an intention, necessity, obligation, and probability.

Personally, I prefer to apply ought  in expressing a requirement and expectation, with the application of to-infinitive instead of the bare infinitive. I apply the verb used to show past states of habitual actions, which are no longer applicable. From the stated illustrations, it is evident that these auxiliaries cannot be applied in any category and make meaning.

Works Cited

Allerton, D..Crystal. Verbs and their Satellites. In Handbook of English Linguistics. Aarts 7

MacMahon (eds.). Blackwell. 2006. Print

Garner, A. Bryan. Garner’s Modern American Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003.

Print

Kroeger, Lewis. Analyzing syntax: A lexical-functional approach. Cambridge. UK: Cambridge

University Press. 2004 Print

 

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