MODALS – DEDUCTION


Usamos verbos modales para decir qué tan seguros estamos de algo.

1 must

Usamos must cuando estamos seguros de que algo es cierto porque hay pruebas muy sólidas.

•          He must live near here because he comes to work on foot. We don’t know where he lives but we’re sure it’s not far away.
•          Come inside and get warm – you must be freezing out there.
•          You’re a zookeeper? That must be very interesting.
Notice that must is followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

2 might, may, could

Utilizamos might, may o might para decir que creemos que algo es posible pero no estamos seguros.

•          Did you hear that? I think there might be a burglar downstairs. She’s not sure there’s a burglar but she thinks it’s possible.
•          We’ll try to get there early but we may arrive late if there’s a lot of traffic.
•          Don’t put it up there. It could fall off and hit someone.
Might, may and could are also followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

3 can’t

Usamos no podemos cuando estamos seguros de que algo no es verdad.
 
•          It can’t be a burglar. All the doors and windows are locked. He doesn’t know it’s not a burglar but he feels sure it’s not.
•          It can’t be far away now. We’ve been driving for hours. Where’s the map?
•          Really? He has to work on Christmas Day? He can’t feel very happy about that.
Like the other verbs, can’t is followed by an infinitive without ‘to’

TAG QUESTIONS


¿Qué son Tag Questions?. Se trata de mini- preguntas que se utilizan al final de una oración afirmativa o negativa y cuyo objetivo es negar o confirmar el contenido de la frase. En español podemos decirlo de esta forma: ¿no?.

Reglas para tener en cuenta:
·                     Utiliza Tag Questions en oraciones afirmativas.
·                     Se utilizan siempre los verbos auxiliares.
·                     Emplea Tag questions en negativo.
·                     En oraciones negativas emplea tag question en positivo.
Veamos ahora algunos ejemplos para aplicar:

Oraciones afirmativas empleando el verbo TO BE en Presente Continuo o Simple.
Verbo en negativo: isn't he?/ aren't you? /isn't it? /isn't she?/ aren't you? /aren't we?:

·                     Pedro's flying now, isn't he?. Pedro está volando en estos momentos, ¿no?.
·                     You are really tired, aren't you?. Estás muy cansado, ¿no?.
·                     They're very nice people, aren't they?. Son personas muy agradables, ¿no?.
NOTA: en inglés americano se utiliza la primera persona del verbo to be como aren't I?, que es el equivalente de am I not?.

Oraciones negativas empleando el verbo TO BE en Presente Continuo o Simple.
Verbo en positivo: am I? are you? is he? are we? is she? is it? are they? are you?:

·                     I'm not late, am I?. No llego tarde, ¿no?.
·                     It isn't a beautiful day, is it?. No es un día hermoso, ¿verdad?.
·                     Pedro isn't flying now, is he?. Pedro no está volando en estos momentos, ¿no?.

Oraciones positivas empleando el verbo TO BE en Past Continuo o Simple. Verbo en negativo: weren’t you? wasn't I? weren't they weren't you? wasn't he? wan't she? wasn't it? weren't we?:

·                     You were studying at 6, weren't you?. Estuviste estudiando a las 6, ¿no?.
·                     It was a beautiful day, wasn't it?. Fue un día hermoso, ¿verdad?.
·                     He was flying when I phoned, wasn't he?. Estaba volando cuando llamé, ¿no?.
·                     Martha was angry, wasn't she?. Marta estaba enojada, ¿no?.
Oraciones negativas empleando el verbo TO BE en Past Continuo o Simple. Verbo en positivo: was he? was she? was it? were we? were you? was I? were you ?were they?:

·                     Martha wasn't angry, was she?. Marta no estaba enojada, ¿no?.
·                     It wasn't a beautiful day, was it?. No fue un día hermoso, ¿no?.

·                     You weren't studying at 6, were you?. No estuviste estudiando a las 6, ¿no?.

Comentarios

Entradas más populares de este blog

REPEATED AND DOUBLE COMPARATIVES

REPORTED SPEECH - MODAL VERBS AND PAST PERFECT

SO - SUCH / TOO - ENOUGH