Modal verbs, stress and a letter of complaint

Modal verbs (can, may, might, must, should, would, shall, ought to, need to) do not describe actions. They show the speaker's attitude to an action. The play uses almost all of them.

From the play:

• 'I will gladly pay your fee' → willingness;
• 'You must have stolen it' → a logical conclusion (the merchant reasoning, wrongly, from the evidence);
• 'You shall come with me' → a command;
• 'How could you possibly know that?' → disbelief;
• 'He would recognise our talents' → a prediction;
• 'A camel with a long tail would have fended off these pests' → an imagined situation that did not happen.

More:

• 'They may tell us more than meets the eye' → possibility;
• 'May your wisdom shine upon Ujjain' → a wish (same word, different job!);
• 'We ought to be united' → moral advice;
• 'We need to devise a strategy' → necessity.

So one modal can do several jobs, and only the sentence decides which. In the exercise, read the job in brackets first, then choose the modal.

Shorter with modals:

• 'It is advisable for you to think before you speak.' → 'You should think before you speak.'
• 'It is unnecessary to worry.' → 'You need not worry.'
• 'It is not allowed to interrupt.' → 'You must not interrupt.'

Stress changes meaning. Say the stressed word louder:

• 'Look there, friends' → look (don't do something else);
• 'Look there, friends' → there, not here;
• 'Look there, friends' → you, not anyone else.

Same words, three meanings.

A letter of complaint. The task is a formal letter about a kutcha (unpaved) road full of potholes. Three paragraphs:

• 1. State the purpose and the problem: 'I would like to bring to your attention…'
• 2. Give details and what happens because of it: 'the stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes… As a result…'
• 3. Suggest what should be done and ask for quick action: 'I request you to look into this matter… I look forward to your prompt response.'