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Would and May

The document discusses two English modal verbs: 1) "Would" is used to make polite invitations or requests, describe past habits or predictions, and avoid sounding rude when disagreeing. Its most common uses are for conditional sentences, polite questions or offers, talking about past habits, and forming the future tense of past actions. 2) "May" expresses possibility in affirmative or negative sentences followed by an infinitive verb. In questions, it politely asks for permission. In Spanish it translates to "podría", "puede que", or "quizás". Examples of its use include possibility ("He may go"), permission questions ("May you take this?"), and denying possibility ("I may not remember").

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Lueli Quezada
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53 views2 pages

Would and May

The document discusses two English modal verbs: 1) "Would" is used to make polite invitations or requests, describe past habits or predictions, and avoid sounding rude when disagreeing. Its most common uses are for conditional sentences, polite questions or offers, talking about past habits, and forming the future tense of past actions. 2) "May" expresses possibility in affirmative or negative sentences followed by an infinitive verb. In questions, it politely asks for permission. In Spanish it translates to "podría", "puede que", or "quizás". Examples of its use include possibility ("He may go"), permission questions ("May you take this?"), and denying possibility ("I may not remember").

Uploaded by

Lueli Quezada
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MODAL VERBS

Los modal verbs en el idioma inglés se ocupan para diferentes situaciones como mostrar que
creemos que algo es certero o posible, para hacer ofertas, hablar de habilidades, pedir permiso,
hacer solicitudes, obligación, etc.

1. WOULD:

El modal verb “would” es usado en situaciones como las siguientes: para hacer invitaciones de
manera formal, para describir una predicción, para hablar de hábitos en el pasado, para no
sonar mal educado u ofensivo al momento de estar en desacuerdo con alguien, etc.

 LOS USOS MAS COMUNES DEL VERBO MODAL WOULD SON:

ˍ Para construir condicionales.


ˍ Para peticiones y ofrecimientos corteses en oraciones interrogativas.
ˍ Para hablar de costumbres o hábitos que solíamos tener en el pasado.
ˍ Para formar el futuro de una acción que se desarrolla en el pasado.
ˍ Para hablar de la voluntad de hacer algo en el pasado.

SUBJECT + AUXILIAR VERB + MAIN VERB

- EXAMPLES:
 When I was a child I would visit my grandmother every weekend
 I would like to add that the introduction of the project needs to be redone
 It would be awesome to go to Disney.

 USE'S
 would for the past

We often use would as a kind of past tense of will or going to:

Even as a boy, he knew that he would succeed in life.

I thought it would rain so I brought my umbrella.

 Using would as as a kind of past tense of will or going to is common in reported


speech:

She said that she would buy some eggs. ("I will buy some eggs.")
The candidate said that he wouldn't increase taxes. ("I won't increase taxes.")

Why didn't you bring your umbrella? I told you it would rain! ("It's going to rain.")

 We often use would not to talk about past refusals:

He wanted a divorce but his wife would not agree.

Yesterday morning, the car wouldn't start.

 We sometimes use would (rather like used to) when talking about habitual past
behaviour:

Every weekday my father would come home from work at 6pm and watch TV.

Every summer we'd go to the seaside.

Sometimes she'd phone me in the middle of the night.

We would always argue. We could never agree.

2. MAY:

El modal verb may se utiliza en oraciones afirmativas o negativas, siempre seguido de un verbo
en infinitivo para expresar probabilidad en el futuro, y al inicio de las preguntas para pedir
permiso con cierta educación. En español su significado sería: podría, puede que o quizás.

SUBJECT + VM + V + C

EXAMPLES:

o FORMA AFIRMATIVA:
- He may go to the party.
o FORMA INTERROGATIVA:
- May you take this to Mr Smith?
o FORMA NEGATIVA:
- I may not remember the date.

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