Modal verbs express the mood or attitude of the speaker towards an action. The English modals give rise to much difficulty for the English-speaking student trying to render their meaning in a foreign
language, as they do for the foreign student of English, because each modal is used in various ways and is more or less interchangeable with one or more other modals in some meanings (e.g. can/could, can/may, may/might). Moreover, the differences of meaning between certain
modals (e.g. must, should, ought, may, might) may be so subtle that English-speakers themselves will not agree on the verbs’ precise nuances.
language, as they do for the foreign student of English, because each modal is used in various ways and is more or less interchangeable with one or more other modals in some meanings (e.g. can/could, can/may, may/might). Moreover, the differences of meaning between certain
modals (e.g. must, should, ought, may, might) may be so subtle that English-speakers themselves will not agree on the verbs’ precise nuances.
