Eltam journal no 2 8th eltam iatefl tesol international biannual conference managing teaching and learning

THE AIM OF THE PAPER 

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62 
The purpose of this work is to display the level of awareness of Faculty of Information and 
CommunicationTechnologies’ students in Bitola for the various uses of English modal verbcan, 
particularly deontic and epistemic kinds of modality and its three major meanings (the 
possibility meaning, the ability meaning, and the permission meaning). 
METHODS AND MATERIALS 
A descriptive research method was used with an anonymous survey conducted on 40 students 
from the Faculty of Information and CommunicationTechnologies -Bitola. The questionnaire 
was combined included closed -ended questions and open-ended questions where students 
could express their views and judgements. The hypothesis upon which the survey was based 
that students will face more difficulties to recognize the epistemic and deontic modality of the 
modal verb can then its meanings. 
On avarage, the majority of the students did not successfully recognize modality as well as the 
meanings of the modal verb can. In regards to the question Is it difficult for you to deal with 
epistemic and deontic modality as well as with meanings (possibilty, ability and permission) of 
the modal verb can
? (Graph No. 1), results showed that modality is more problematic area ( 
62%) than the individual meanings of can (38%) which is in line with our initial hypothesis. 
Graph No. 1 Is it difficult for you to deal with epistemic and deontic modality as well as 
with meanings (possibilty, ability and permission) of the modal verb can?
The analysis of answers to the question 
Which modality is used in the sentences: Paul can’t be 
in Liverpool 
and We can borrow up to six books at a time showed that (37%) of the students 
Series1, 
modality, 0.62, 
62%
Series1, 
individual 
meanings, 0.38, 
38%

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answered epistemic and (63%) deontic modality for the first sentence and (52%) epistemic and 
(48%) deontic modality for the second one. (Graph No.2 ).
Graph No. 2 Which modality is used in the sentences: 
Paul can’t be in Liverpool and We can 
borrow up to six books at a time. 
 
In regards to the answers What kind of meaning (possibilty, ability or permission ) is used in 
the sentence: I can carry heavy loads ( 85%) answered ability, (10%) permission and (5%) 
possibility. (Graph No. 3)
Series1, 
epistemic, 0.37, 
37%
Series1, 
deontic, 0.63, 
63%
Series1, 
epistemic, 0.52, 
52%
Series1, 
deontic, 0.48, 
48%

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