We have already talked about Modal verbs like can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, etc. They are used with other verbs to express ideas such as possibility, prediction, speculation, deduction, and necessity. In this article, I am going to talk about semi auxiliary verbs and semi expressions in English.
Semi Auxiliary Verbs And Semi Expressions in English
|Have/has to||Ought to||Be supposed to||Used to|
|Had better||Would better||Would rather||Would you mind + gerund noun|
Use have to with plural nouns or the pronouns (I, you, we, they) while talking about obligation.
- Ahmad and Ali have to do their homework.
- We have to do our homework.
Use has to with singular nouns or the pronouns (he, she, and it) while talking about obligation.
- Jamal has to study hard for the test.
- She has to mop the bathroom.
You can use ought to with all subjects. It is used to remind someone of his/her responsibility.
- You ought to close the door.
- You ought to wake him up.
Be supposed to:
Use (is/am/are) according to the subject of the sentence before (supposed to).
- We are supposed to come on time to class.
- I am supposed to stay home today.
Remember: Not supposed is used to talk about the things which are not allowed or prohibited.
- You are not supposed to smoke a cigarette here.
- You are not supposed to break the traffic law.
Use used to while talking about a past action or condition which does not exist anymore.
- I used to smoke cigarette, but I cut it out.
- She used to be my best friend.
Use had better for warnings or strong suggestion.
- The weather is cloudy. I had better/I`d better step out.
- There will be a traffic jam again. We had better/We`d better hurry.
Use would rather for preference.
- Would you rather eat rice or meat?
- I would rather/I`d rather eat meat.
- Would you rather go to Pakistan or Iran?
- I would rather/I`d rather go to Iran.
Would you mind+ gerund:
Use this modal expression to ask someone in a more polite way to do something for you.
- Would you mind closing the door, please? No. /Not at all. /sure.
- Would you mind bringing some water? Yes. (Wrong answer)
I hope you learned how to use semi auxiliary verbs and semi expressions in English. Now attempt the Modal Auxiliary & Semi Auxiliary Verbs Exercises. In addition, if you have any question about the article please comment it using the comment section below.