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- English modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, and would) are defective in that they lack distinctive third-person singular and nonfinite forms.
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Updated on July 03, 2019. In English grammar, defective verb is a traditional term for a verb that doesn't exhibit all the typical forms of a conventional verb. English modal verbs ( can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, and would) are defective in that they lack distinctive third-person singular and nonfinite forms.
- We can use May and Might – To express possibility. There is a chance of something being true or there is a possibility of something happening. Note: Might is used more frequently than May in spoken English.
- We can use May To ASK FOR permi ssion. Note: May sounds more polite than using Can or Could when asking for permission. May I have some water please? May I borrow your dictionary?
- We can also use May – To GIVE permission. We do NOT use Might to give permission. You may open the window if you become hot. You may take a brochure if you like.
- To NOT give permission. We can use May not to NOT give permission or to PROHIBIT someone from doing something. You may not park your car in front of the gate.
Some verbs are becoming more defective as time goes on; for example, although might is etymologically the past tense of may, it is no longer generally used as such (for example, *he might not go to mean "he was forbidden to go").
The most commonly recognized defective verbs in English are auxiliary verbs — the class of preterite-present verbs — can/could, may/might, shall/should, must, ought to, and will/would (would being a later historical development).
may. 'may' is the model of its conjugation. This defective modal helping verb exists only in the present and preterit tenses. It is followed by a main verb in the bare infinitive, or by [ have + past participle]. Both the present and the preterit may be used in combination with [ have + past participle] to express a guess or a possibility about ...
There are not many defective verbs in English, and most of these verbs were not originally defective. Some verbs are becoming more defective as time goes on. We will look at examples of these verbs in this lesson. To understand defective verbs, you must first understand the normal uses of a regular verb.
English Grammar. Verbs. Modal verbs. 'may' and 'might' Level: beginner. We use may: when we are not sure about something in the present or future: Jack may be coming to see us tomorrow. (= Perhaps Jack will come to see us tomorrow.) Oh dear! It's half past ten. We may be late for the meeting. (= Perhaps we will be late for the meeting.)
