Modal verbs in expressing advice, permission and offer and some applications to teaching modal verbs for the 10th form students

Some mistakes learners may make in using Modal Verbs 5 Chapter II: Advice, Permission and Offer expressed via Modal Verbs 7 3.4.. In my study, I would like to clarify the use of Modal Ve

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.4 Some mistakes learners may make in using Modal Verbs 5

Chapter II: Advice, Permission and Offer expressed via Modal Verbs 7

3.4 Applying suggestions in teaching for 10th form sts 16

Part A: INTRODUCTION

I Rationale

The more our society develops, the more quickly the process ofintegration and globalization takes place It can’t be denied that today English isthe most widely used language in the world It has been used in all spheres such

as external activities, world trade, and science… In 2007 Vietnam became the

150th member of World Trade Organization (WTO), it creates both goodopportunities and challenges to our country English plays an important role indeveloping economy, politics, etc… It is therefore necessary to learn Englishlanguage To be proficient in English, moreover, the important thing is to masterEnglish grammar

Modal Verbs are a very important part of English grammar LearningModal Verbs is not very interesting The uses of Modal Verbs cause learner alot of difficulties because one modal verb can have different meanings anddifferent Modal Verbs can express one meaning Especially it is difficult to usesuitable Modal Verbs in each situation A specific example is that yourroommate had a bad cold because she forgot to bring an umbrella when she

went out You say you should bring your umbrella this sentence is not suitable, you have to say, “you should have brought your umbrella” because this situation happened in the past “Should have+ past participle” expresses advice for things that happened in the past, “should do” for advice at present or in the

future

For above-mentioned reasons, I have decided to study Modal Verbs

In my study, I would like to clarify the use of Modal Verbs in expressingadvice, permission and offer and some applications to teaching Modal Verbs

II Aims and objectives of the study

This paper sets the aims and objectives as follow:

- Bring an insight into English Modal Verbs

- Give English students or teachers’ deep understanding of expressing advice,permission and offer via Modal Verbs

- Point out some mistakes learners may make when using Modal Verbs

- Suggest some activities for teaching- learning of Modal Verbs in expressingadvice, permission and offer to make learners understand better and moreinterested in learning them

III The scope of the study

In this paper, beacause of our limited time and knowledge, I only studyconcept, types, characteristics, usage and function of Modal Verbs I also mention

to the use of Modal Verbs in expressing advice, permission and offer and suggestsome applications to teaching Modal Verbs for upper- secondary school students

IV Method of the study

I use a combination of different methods

- Collecting materials: Data are taken from various reference books, which related

to modal verbs Information sources are also accessed from Internet

- Analyzing and synthesizing:

Data are analyzed to choose important information about Modal Verbs After that,synthesize them

- Consulting our supervisor and other experienced teachers

V Design of the study

The study consists of three parts:

Part A: Introduction

Information about the rationale, aims and objectives, scope, method and design ofthe study are provided

Part B: Development

This part includes 3 chapters:

Chapter 1: Theoretical background

I mention concept, types, characteristics, usages and functions of Modal Verbs Chapter 2: I would like to study on advice, permission and offer expressed viaModal Verbs and some mistakes learners may make when using them

Chapter 3:

This chapter is presented with “application to teaching Modal Verbs” In thischapter I suggest some activities for teaching- learning modal verbs in expressingadvice, permission and offer

Part C: Conclusion

I conclude what I have mentioned in my study paper

Part B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter I Theoretical background

In this chapter, firstly I mention the notion of Modal Verbs and some othernotions related this: types, characteristics and the usage of Modal Verbs Secondly,

I study some communicative functions including advice, permission and offer.Finally, I show some mistakes learners may make in using Modal Verbs

1.1 What are Modal Verbs?

According to Long man’ Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics, Modal is defined as any of the auxiliary verbs which indicate attitudes

of the speaker or writer towards the state or event expressed by another verbs i.e.which indicate different types of modality

1.2 Types of Modal Verbs

It can be divided into two categories: pure modals and semi- modal

*** Need is a special verb since as an auxiliary it is almost always negative and it

is also a lexical verb as in sentences like “He needs to speak to you now”, while it acts as a modal verb in sentences such as” You needn’t come to work tomorrow” where it has the same meaning as don’t have to.

1.3 The usage of Modal Verbs

1.3.1 Meanings

We use Modal Verbs to make an assessment, judgment or interpretation ofwhat we are speaking or writing about or express our attitude to this.

The assement of ability: I can play football.

The judgment of obligation: You must stay at home tonight.

The assement of necessity: You must eat less meat.

The assement of possibility: She may not like this gift.

The interpretation of logical deduction: Can you answer the phone It will be mum.

1.3.2 Functions

Modal Verbs can be usually linked to particular communicative functions:

Requesting: Can you lend me some money?

Offering: Shall I post this letter for you?

Asking for or granting for permission: Can I use your computer?

Advising: I think you should return the answer back.

Suggesting: we could go to the beach for summer holiday.

Inviting: would you like to have breakfast with me?

1.4 Some mistakes learners may make when using Modal Verbs

English learners may make mistakes in both receptive skills (listening and reading)and productive skills (speaking and writing)

1.4.1 When listening for comprehension:

In most contexts Modal Verbs are pronounced in weakened form and learners mayfail to hear or identify them This doesn’t always stop learners from understandingthe essential message but it may do

For example, if the learners don’t hear can in the following, they may interpret the

statement as a promise rather than as an offer

E.g I can post this letter for you

To solve this problem, the teacher should let learners practice listening to ModalVerbs in native voice Therefore learners will get acquainted with Modal Verbs thatare pronounced in very weakened form

- A particular problem is sometimes posed by the use of should to give advice If I were you, I should…is often abbreviated to I should…and learners may understand

an offer or promise where what is intended as advice

E.g I should find another way to solve this sum.

To solve this problem, when teaching Modal Verbs in expressing advice, offer and

permission, teacher should remind learners the structure if I were you, I should… often abbreviated to I should

1.4.2 Speaking and writing

- When giving advice, native speakers of English often try not to use the imperative

mood or the Modal Verbs must as much as they can because the listener may

misunderstand their good will But it is very common for Vietnamese learners ofEnglish to use the strong form” must” to give advice

E.g You must learn English more frequently (It sounds too strong advice)

- Different Modal Verbs have similar meaning

Learners adopt one form and over- use it in cases where it would be more natural tovary the use for stylistic reasons

They may use may to express probability and never use might/can/could in

contexts where they would be acceptable alternatives

To solve this difficulty, when teachers teach Modal Verbs to express some modalmeanings, he/she should give different Modal Verbs and learners should vary theuses of these Modal Verbs

- One Modal Verb can express different meanings Learners may not understandand remember all the meanings of one Modal Verb

The solution to this problem is that teacher can apply matching exercise (onecolumn is the example of meaning and one column is the meaning) Using thespecific example is easier for student to remember

A B

1) I can swim a) Requests

2) Can I look at your costumes? b) Permission

3) You can look at my costumes c) Offer

4) She is very late She can come tomorrow d) Ability

5) Can I help you? e) Possibility

- Student may not pay attention to pronunciation of Modal Verbs:

Learners may over - emphasize Modal Verbs in contexts where they wouldnormally not be stressed This may give the impression that they are contradictingsomething that has already been said and can lead to people misinterpreting theirattitude

In many contexts, stress is the most important feature we use to distinguish

between can (generally not stressed and can’t (generally stressed) If learners inappropriately stress can, people may understand that they have said can’t.

Chapter II: Advice, permission, and offer expressed via Modal Verbs

This chapter involves the study about how advice, permission and offer expressedvia Modal Verbs I show how they differ from each other

E.g You should stop being stupid

You shouldn’t cheat in exam.

 Had better

This structure is common in spoken English and it is usually used in the contracted

form After had better and its negative form – had better not, we use the base form

of the infinitive of the verb

E.g You’d better return the answers to the lecturer.

You’d better not tell any that you found them.

- There is a little difference between using should and had better We often use had better in the situation that is more serious If the speaker does not follow the advice,

there will be something bad happen

E.g You cough a lot You’d better give up smoking.

 Ought to

This is the most formal of the structure used for giving advice, and so it isn’t so

common After ought and its negative ought not (oughn’t), we use the full infinitive

of the verb

E.g You ought to contact the police/ You ought not to cheat in exams.

 Must

Must is used for emphatic advice.

E.g You must read this It’s marvelous!

Mustn’t is used for very emphatic advice

E.g You mustn’t leave your car unlocked This place is full of thieves.

2.1.2 Asking for advice

We use should, ought to to ask for advice Should is used very commonly and ought to is used less commonly.

E.g Should I go abroad for study?

What do you think I should do?

Shouldn’t I apply for this job?

Ought I to buy this house?

Oughtn’t I to do the task in this way?

2.2 Permission

2.2.1 Granting for permission

We can use may, might, can, could for granting permission.

 Can I? Could I? May I? Might I? are all possible and can be used for the

present or future

- Can I? is the most informal

E.g Can I use your bicycle?

- Could I? is the most generally useful of the four, as it can express both formal and

informal request for permission

E.g Could I hand in the test next week, teacher? (Formal)

Could I borrow your book, Mary? (Informal)

- May I? is a little more formal than Could I? but can also be used for both

types of requests

E.g Student: May I come in?

Teacher: Come in, please.

- Might I? is more diffident than May I? and indicates greater uncertainty

about the answer

E.g Daughter: Might I go with him tonight?

Father: No, you can’t You should forget him.

 The negative interrogative forms Can’t I and Couldn’t I are used to show

that the speaker hopes for an affirmative answer

E.g Can’t I stay up till the end of the programme?

Couldn’t I pay by cheque?

May and might are not used in this way.

 Answer to can’t I / could I requests will normally be:

Yes, you can / Yes, of course (you can)

No, you can’t.

Affirmative answers to may I / might I requests are normally:

Yes, you may / Yes, of course (you may)

For a negative answer “ No, you may not “ is possible but it would normally be

replaced by a milder expression:

E.g I’d rather you didn’t

2.2.2 Giving Permission

We can use can, may, might, could for giving permission.

 May and can used for permission in the present or future.

- First person

I /we can is the most usual form.

E.g I can take a day of off whenever I want.

I/ we may meaning I/ we have permission to … is possible:

E.g I may leave the office as soon as I have finished.

But this is not very common construction and it would be much more usual to say:

E.g I can leave/ I’m allowed to leave.

But in colloquial speech we would use can / could

E.g He says we can leave / He said we could leave.

- Second person

Here may is chiefly used when the speaker is giving permission You may park here mean I give you permission to park It does not normally mean The police allow you to park or you have a right to park

Can can be used as an informal alternative to may here But it can also be used to express the idea of having permission You can park here can mean I allow it / the police allow it/ you have a right to park here Similarly You can take two books home with you can mean I allow it / The library allows it and you can’t eat sandwiches in the library can mean I don’t allow it / The librarian doesn’t allow it

or It isn’t the proper thing to do.

- Third person

May can be used when the speaker is giving permission

E.g He may take my car (I give him permission to take it)

They may phone the office and reverse the charges (I give them permission)

But it is chiefly used in impersonal statements concerning authority andpermission:

E.g In certain circumstances a police officer may (= has the right to) ask a

driver to take a breath test

In informal English can / can’t would be used

E.g He can take the car.

 Could for permission in the past

Could can also express general permission in the past.

E.g On Sundays we could (= were allowed to) stay up late.

Couldn’t however can be used a little more widely than could

E.g We couldn’t bring our dog into the restaurant.

Could can be used when there is an idea of condition:

E.g Why don’t you ring him? You can / could use my phone.

Could is also used in indirect speech introduced by the verb in a past tense:

E.g He said I could use this phone.

2.2.3 Prohibition

To make prohibition we can use must not, can not Must not is used for emphatic

prohibition

E.g You must not smoke in this room

You can’t park your car here.

2.3 Offer

* Typical offers inviting yes/no respond.

Can/could I offer you a sandwich?

Will/won’t you have a sandwich?

Would/ wouldn’t you like a sandwich?

* Typical offers with “what”

E.g What would you like to have?

What would you rather to have?

* Typical offers to do things

E.g.Can I/could I /shall I open the window for you?

Would you like me to open the window for you?

Chapter III Application to teaching Modal Verbs for upper- secondary students

Modal Verbs play an important role in English Grammar Modal Verbs areone of the most difficult structures that an EST/EFT teacher will have to deal with.Moreover, the studying English Grammar in general and Modal Verbs in particular

is not of learner’s interests Learners also have not applied Modal Verbs incommunication In this chapter, I suggest some activities to make teaching andlearning Modal Verbs more attractive I mention to the use of pictures, games, androle-play in teaching and learning advice, permission, offer via Modal Verbs

3.1 Pictures

Pictures are illustrations that are cut from magazines, newspapers or othersources They’re mostly photographs, but drawings, collages, maps, or otherillustrations can be used for certain activities

We can use pictures in three stages of the lesson: presentation, practice, andproduction They make the lesson more meaningful and interesting When studentslearn with pictures, they are more creative

3.1.1 Using pictures for advice

We can use pictures about kind of diseases Teacher hangs it on the boardand asks students to give advice for people in these pictures to treat their diseases These pictures of diseases are not only applied in teaching Modal Verbs butalso for teaching other grammatical items or vocabulary