- published: 22 May 2016
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A modal verb (also modal, modal auxiliary verb, modal auxiliary) is a type of auxiliary verb that is used to indicate modality – that is, likelihood, ability, permission, and obligation. The use of auxiliary verbs to express modality is particularly characteristic of Germanic languages.
Modal auxiliary verbs give more information about the function of the main verb that follows it. Although having a great variety of communicative functions, these functions can all be related to a scale ranging from possibility ("may") to necessity ("must"). Within this scale there are two functional divisions:
The following sentences illustrate the two uses of must:
Epistemic modals can be analyzed as raising verbs, while deontic modals can be analyzed as control verbs.
Another use of modal auxiliaries is to indicate "dynamic modality", which refers to properties such as ability or disposition. Some examples of this are "can" in English, "können" in German, and "possum" in Latin. For example, "I can say that in English," "Ich kann das auf Deutsch sagen," and "Illud Latine dicere possum."
I thought about sitting back
Straight denying it
But I knew that you deserved more
So I faced the music
And you left in a fit
I'm wondering what I told the truth for
And now you're flaunting him
At our favourite joint
Knowing that it'll get back to me
Girl, enough already
You've already made your point
Why can't you accept I'm sorry?
Now you're taking every chance
To throw it in my face
Just to show me now that you lost it
I know I hurt you bad
But what you're doing now is no different
You don't really love him
Now I've got nothing left
You never learnt to forgive and forget
You're ripping my heart out of my chest
Whoever said truth is always best
Didn't know nothin' [x3]
I shoulda kept my mouth shut
I coulda kept my mouth shut
I shoulda kept my mouth shut
Now you don't want to leave
But maybe you should
Even though I know you love me
You've just go to get even
I wish I'd never seen
This side of you because it's ugly
I told you I messed up
Like a man I fessed up
Coulda been simple, this is mean
Instead you punished me
When you gonna be satisfied?
By that time I may not be here
Okay you've won, you've torn me down
But don't think that you're above me
Girl you're playing yourself now, I know you still love me
But you're killing it, you're killing it
Now I've got nothing left
You never learnt to forgive and forget
You're ripping my heart out of my chest
Whoever said truth is always best
Didn't know nothin' [x3]
Remember all the plans that we made
Like taking the trip in the summer time to Spain
Forget about all the evil things we said
And remember that time we made love at the park in the rain
I can't look deep into the future and predict how its all gonna be
But I want this to work and I know you're still hurt
But you're killing me, you're killing me
Now we've got nothing left
You never learnt to forgive and forget
You're ripping my heart out of my chest
Whoever said truth is always best
Didn't know nothin' [x3]
And now we've got nothing left
You never learnt to forgive and forget
You're ripping my heart out of my chest
Whoever said truth is always best
Didn't know nothin' [x3]
I shoulda kept my mouth shut
'Cause then we wouldn't be here
I shoulda kept my mouth shut