Bělíková Zuzana The Modal Verb Could and its Equivalents in Translation

2.3.1
 
Verb phrases with Modals 
Unlike in the sentence Peter lives in Grange Road where only information about Peter is 
expressed, sentences that contains verb phrases with modals say something not only about 
a subject but also about a speaker (Lewis 1986, 102). 
37) Peter may come tomorrow.
 
 
 
 
(Lewis 1986, 102) 
Sentence 37 gives information about Peter as well as about the speaker's own judgment 
(Lewis 1986, 102). “There are three important characteristics of verb phrases containing
a modal auxiliary: 
1. They are not about facts alone. 
2. They are about speaker's or listener's judgment or opinion at the moment of speaking. 
3. They necessarily involve two people – the subject and the speaker of listener.” (Lewis 
1986, 102) 
2.4
 
Marginal Modals 
I have already stated that dare, need, ought to and used to belong to the group of marginal 
modals. Their usage is different from modal verbs in some cases. 
2.4.1
 
Dare and Need 
Both verbs can be either modal or lexical. They are used less as modal verbs in AmE.
The differences are shown in examples below (Huddleston and Pullum 2002, 110). 

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Philosophical Faculty, Palacký University Olomouc 
22 
38) He needn’t/daren’t tell her. 
 
He doesn’t need/dare to tell her. (Huddleston 
and Pullum 2002, 110) 
39) Need/Dare he tell her?
 
Does he need/dare to tell her?
(ibid.) 
40) No one need/dare go out alone.
No one needs/dares to go out alone. (ibid.) 
2.4.2
 
Ought to 
It is obvious that ought is followed by to-infinitive (see example 41). However, there are 
tendencies to drop to-infinitive in non-affirmative contexts, especially in AmE, as in 42 
(Huddleston and Pullum 2002, 109). Quirk et al. (1972, 82) argues that should is more 
regular in these cases. 
41) Ought I to refuse? 
 
Did I ought to refuse?
 
(Dušková 1988, 
185) 
42) He’s considering telling the police, but I don’t think he ought. (Huddleston and Pullum 
2002, 109)