Level 6 - Unit 2 - Part 2 Listening - Talking about Modals 1（漫谈情态动词1）

XGundam05

Now that you're studying English at a high level, let's get a better understanding of modals. By now, you should already have a good understanding of what they mean.
现在你在学习高阶英语，所以我们应当进一步理解情态动词。到目前为止，你应该已经很好地理解了它们的意思。

Here're the modals which are used to express degrees of certainty.
以下情态动词用于表示肯定程度。

will, shall, may, can.

These modals are used for making predictions, judgements and speculations. They indicate how much a speaker knows about the likelihood of an event. First, the modal "will" expresses certainty, as in "If you heat water, it will boil". Based on what is known, the speaker is CERTAIN it will happen. The modal "may" expresses possibility, as in "It may rain this evening, but I'm not sure.". Based on what is known, the speaker asserts that the event is possible, rather than certain or impossible. The modal "can" expresses potentiality or ability, as in "He can afford it, but he may decide not to buy".
这些情态动词用于预测、判断和推测，表示说话者对事件可能性的了解程度。首先，情态动词“will”表示肯定，比如 “If you heat water, it will boil”。根据已知情况，说话者认为事件肯定发生。情态动词“may”表示可能性，比如“It may rain this evening, but I'm not sure.”。根据已知情况，说话者认为事件可能发生，而不是肯定或不可能。情态动词 “can” 表示潜在性或能力，比如 “He can afford it, but he may decide not to buy”。

The modal "shall" is a bit different from the others. "Tina shall be there." means the speaker is determined that Tina will be there. In other words, the speaker is determined to get her to come and will try to influence events to make it happen. We would never say " It shall rain." Nobody can make it rain, so whether or not it rains is beyond anyone's control. If someone were to say that, it would seem as if they were claiming the power to control or influence nature. Note that the question "Shall I open the door?" invites the person who is asked to make the decision. Whether or not the door is opened depends on the person's answer. In contrast, "Will I open the door?" ask for a prediction rather than a decision.
情态动词“shall” 和其它情态动词有所不同。“Tina shall be there."意思是说话者确定蒂娜会在那儿。换句话说，说话者确定让她来，并试图影响事件使其发生。我们不会说“It shall rain.”，没有人可以让老天下雨，因此是否下雨超出了人的控制。如果有人这么说，那就好像他们在宣称拥有控制或影响自然的力量。注意，“Shall I open the door?”是要求某人作决定。是否开门取决于某人的答案。相反，“Will I open the door?” 是请求预判而不是决定。

Note that these modals can be weakened or removed from reality by the use of their past tense form.
注意，这些情态动词可以使用过去时态来弱化或虚拟现实。

would/should/might/could

"We would go if we had more money, but we don't." This sentence expresses the speaker's certainty of going IF they had more money, which they don't. So the certain prediction exists, but in an imaginary or unreal situation. The modal "might" expresses less possibility than "may", so "might go" is less likely than "may go". The modal "could" expresses less potential than "can", and is often used in conditionals. "If he could come" expresses less potential than "If he can come". The sentence, "If he could come, we would all be happier" expresses the feeling that in fact he can't come.
“We would go if we had more money, but we don't.” 这句话表示说话者表达如果他们有更多钱就肯定会去，实际上他们没有。因此，这种肯定性预测只是存在于想象或虚拟中。情态动词“might”表达的可能性小于“may”，因此“might go”可能性小于“may go”。情态动词 “could” 表达的可能性小于“can”，通常用于条件从句。“If he could come”表达的可能性小于“If he can come”。句子“If he could come, we would all be happier”表达的意思是他实际上不可能来。