One cannot but wonder - нельзя не задуматься
as can be - an intensifying expression
They are as pleased as can be. - Они очень (страшно) довольны.
It’s as ugly as can be. - Это необычайно уродливо (трудно себе представить что-либо более
отвратительное).
§ 155. This modal verb has two forms: may for the present tense and might for the past and as the subjunctive mood form. Thus the form might is used:
a) in indirect speech according to the rules of the sequence of tenses (though the verb could is preferable in this case).
He told me that I might go.
The librarian told the man that he might take the book home.
b) in some syntactical patterns requiring the subjunctive mood forms:
However hard he might (or may) try, he will never manage to do the same.
I’ve brought you the book so that you may write your paper.
I. May followed by the non-perfect common infinitive expresses:
1. Permission. In this usage it expresses the meaning to have permission to, to be allowed to, to be permitted to.
You may go now (you are allowed to go).
May we leave this with you? (Are we allowed to...? Is it all right if we leave it here?)
In polite requests for permission might is used.
Might I use your telephone, please?
I wonder if I might borrow your book.
Can is now more common than may or might to express informally the idea of permission, but may is often used when talking of ourselves.
May/might I help you?
When the action was permitted and performed the expression was allowed to is preferable.
When translating the story we were allowed to use a dictionary, so I took a Longman new dictionary.
2. Possibility of the fact (the so-called “factual possibility”).This meaning occurs only in affirmative sentences.
You may find all the books you want in the National Library. (It is possible that you will find...)
The railways may be improved. (It is possible that the railways will be improved.)
The above sentence could suggest that there are definite plans for improvement.
May expressing possibility is avoided in questions and in negative sentences, instead can is used.
3. Prohibition (only with the negative form of the modal verb).
You may not go swimming. (You are not allowed to ...) - He смей...
You may not enter the room until I say so. - He смей...
The contracted form mayn’t is also very rare.
There are other ways of expressing the idea of prohibition which are more common. They are mustn’t, can’t, and don’t. Mustn’t and can’t are often found in negative answers to express prohibition instead of may not.
II. May (might) followed by any form of the infinitive denotes:
1. Supposition, uncertainty. May in this sense is synonymous with perhaps or maybe, and occurs in affirmative and negative statements.
This news is so strange that you may not believe it. (Perhaps you won’t believe it.)
He may come or he may not. (Может быть, он придет, а может и нет.)
She may not know that you are here. (Perhaps she doesn’t know that you are here.)
Why hasn’t he come? He may have been hurt. (Perhaps he has been hurt. We still don’t know whether he
has or has not.)
Why aren’t you at the station? They may be arriving.
The non-perfect infinitive indicates reference to the present or future, that is, it expresses supposition or uncertainty about a present or future action.
They may arrive tonight or tomorrow.
The perfect infinitive indicates reference to the past.
May (might) in the sense of supposition or uncertainty is not used in questions, instead some other means are used: Is it (he) likely ... ? or Do you think ... ?
Is Mary likely to arrive tonight?
Do you think he has already come?
| Note: The difference between the meaning of the negative forms of can and may: | |
| He may not be ill.= It is possible that he isn’t ill. He may not be working. = It is possible that he isn’t working. | He can’t be ill. = It is not possible that he is ill. He can’t be working. = It is impossible that he is working. |
Can + negation in these sentences denotes doubt, incredulity on the part of the speaker, whereas may expresses uncertainty about a negation of some fact.
2. Reproach. This meaning is found only in positive statements and only with the form might as it is a reproach made about something that has not been done and thus implies some unfulfilled action.
You might at least offer to help.
In combination with the perfect infinitive it renders irritation (annoyance) that the action was not carried out.
You might have opened the door for me.
3. May/might partly loses its meaning when used in certain sentence patterns and is in such cases a quasi-subjunctive auxiliary (see § 80):
a) in clauses of purpose:
Sit here so that I may see your face more clearly.
He died so that others might live.
b) in clauses of concession:
Try as he may he will never be top of his class.
However hard he might try, he never managed it.
c) in object, predicative and appositive clauses after verbs or nouns expressing hope, wish, fear:
The doctor has fears that she may not live much longer.
The prisoner had hopes that he might be set free.
Here are some expressions with the modal verb may/might:
I may/might as well + infinitive — is a very mild and unemphatic way of expressing an intention.
I may as well take you with me.
It can be used with other persons to suggest or recommend an action.
You may as well give him the letter.
Might just as well means “it would be equally good to” and is used to suggest alternative actions. Though the meaning is basically the same as in three previous sentences, “just” makes the sentence more emphatic.
- I’ll go on Monday by a slow train.
- You might just as well wait till Tuesday and go by the fast one.
- I’ll do it at six.
- That’s far too late. You might just as well not do it at all.
§ 156. The modal verb must has only one form for the present tense. It may also be used in reported speech, after the verb in the past tense in the principal clause.
I knew I must go there too.
I. Must followed by the non-perfect common infinitive may express:
1. Immediate obligation or necessity, or an obligation referring to the future. This meaning occurs in positive statements and questions.
We must begin before five, or we shan’t finish in time for our supper.
He must move the furniture himself. I can’t help him.
Must you really go so soon?
In this sense the verb must corresponds to the Russian надо, нужно, должен.
Do it if you must (если нужно, делайте).
I must go now (мне нужно идти).
Must expresses obligation or compulsion from the speaker’s viewpoint (unlike ‘have to’, which involves some other authority than the speaker, such as official regulations, etc.).
You must be back at 2 o’clock. I want you to do some cooking.
You must call me Sir (I like it that way).
Obligations expressed by must refer to the present or future, in reported speech they may refer to the past.
James said we must invite the Stewarts to dinner.
Future obligations can be made more precise with the future indefinite of the verb have to.
I’ll have to read it again.
We shall have to give you a new copy of the book.
Since the negative form of must denotes a negative obligation or sometimes prohibition (sec item 2), it cannot express absence of necessity which is expressed by needn’t.
- Must I go? - No, you needn’t, if you don’t want to.
Must is used interchangeably with to be to for instructions, notices, or orders.
Passangers must cross the lines by the footbridge (the railway company instructs them to).
Applications for admission to the Students’ Room of the Department of Manuscripts must be
accompanied by a letter of recommendation.
This card must be surrendered with your room key on vacating Astor College.
All rooms must be vacated by 11 a.m. and the keys handed to the porter on the day of departure.
Guests must be out of the building by midnight.
In all the above cases must is preferable.
With a 2nd person subject must expresses an obligation which has the same effect as a command.
You must do as you are told.
You must be careful.
You must go now. I want to go to bed.
You must change your shoes, I won’t have you in here with muddy feet.
2. Prohibition. Such sentences are sometimes negative commands, corresponding to the Russian sentences with нельзя, не разрешается.
| The girl mustn’t go home alone. It’s very late. Cars must not be parked in front of this gate. You mustn’t do that! You mustn’t come into the ward, it’s against the rules. | - Девочке нельзя идти домой одной. - He разрешается оставлять машины перед воротами. - He делайте этого! - Нельзя заходить в палату, это запрещено. |
3. Invitations.
You must come and see me sometime. - Вы обязательно должны навестить меня как-нибудь.
You must come and have dinner with us.
You must come and see our picture gallery.
This use of must renders emphasis to the sentence.
II. When combined with any form of the infinitive must expresses probability, near certainty. It has the same meaning as the modal words probably, evidently. In this sense must occurs only in positive statements and corresponds to the Russian modal words вероятно, должно быть.
He must be mad (it seems certain that he is mad).
He must be lonely (probably he is lonely).
With verbs which admit of the continuous aspect, the continuous infinitive should be used for reference to the present.
Where’s Nell? She must be sightseeing now (she is probably sightseeing).
John isn’t here. He must be working in the garden.
Jane is busy. She must be packing for the trip.
The perfect infinitive indicates a past action.
Did you always live with your father? You must have led quite a busy social life (evidently you led...).
The perfect continuous infinitive indicates the duration of the past action, a process in the past.
It must have been raining when you left (evidently it was raining when you left).
They must have been working all the lime. They look very tired (evidently they have been working all the
time).
Must expressing probability is not used:
a) with reference to the future. Instead of the modal verb the adverbs probably and evidently are used.
He will probably feel lonely.
b) in negative and interrogative forms. There are several ways of expressing the negative meaning of probability in such sentences: by negative affixes, or negative pronouns, or lexically.
1. You must have misunderstood me.
2. They must have been inattentive.
3. She must have failed to recognize you.
4. He must have had no chance to warn you.
5. The letter must have never reached them.
6. The letter must have been left unanswered.
7. No one must have seen him there.
8 . He must be quite unaware of the circumstances.
Besides the above mentioned shades of meaning, sometimes accompanied by emphasis, the modal verb must may be used solely for the sake of emphasis. In this case must is not translated into Russian, it merely emphasises some action or idea.
Just when we were ready to go away for the holidays, the baby must catch measles (ребенок вдруг
заболел корью, ребенок возьми и заболей корью).
Of course after I gave her my advice she must go and do the opposites (... она вдруг пойди и сделай
наоборот).
As we were starting what must he do but cut his finger (... он возьми да и порежь себе палец).
At a time when everybody is in bed he must turn on the wireless (... он вдруг включает приемник).
§ 157. As a modal verb to have to differs from the others in that it is not defective. It can have the category of person and number and all tense-aspect forms, as well as verbals. It is followed by a to-infinitive and combines only with the non-perfect form of it.
As there is no through train to our town we have to change in Moscow.
We had to look all over town before we found what we wanted.
She won’t have to walk the whole way, will she?
Having to go so soon we were afraid of missing the man.
Have to builds up its interrogative and negative forms with the help of the auxiliary verb to do.
Do you have to work so hard?
Do you have to leave already?
He doesn’t have to be here before Friday.
You don’t have to do what your sister tells you.
Why does he have to go there?
The modal verb to have to expresses:
I. Obligation or necessity arising out of circumstances. It is similar in its meaning to must (1). It corresponds to the Russian приходится, вынужден.
She is usually short of time so she has to go by air (ей приходится лететь, она вынуждена лететь).
My sister has a lot of friends in different parts of the country, so she has to write lots of letters (ей
приходится...).
In the past tense have to indicates a fulfilled obligation.
We had to do a lot of things during the week we stayed in the country (were obliged and did it).
They made such a noise that I had to send one of the boys to make inquiries (it was necessary and I did
it).
Have to replaces must where must cannot be used: a) to express past necessity or obligation, b) to express absence of necessity (in the sense of needn’t), since must not means prohibition, and c) to express a future obligation, since the future tense of the verb have to makes the obligation more precise.
a) We had to do it again.
They had to do what they were told.