Mastering English Modal Verbs and Advanced Lexis

Mastering English Modal Verbs and Usage

This section clarifies the meaning and context for essential modal verbs and related expressions concerning necessity, obligation, possibility, and ability.

Modal Verbs for Obligation, Necessity, and Rules

• MUST: Expresses strong certainty, obligation, or essential requirement. (I'm sure, I'm certain, is obligated to, essential that, it's compulsory, needs, needs to be, it's necessary for, rule.)
• HAVE TO: Expresses external obligation or necessity. (Is obliged to, it's essential that, it's compulsory.)
• MUSTN'T: Expresses prohibition or danger. (It's forbidden that, not permitted/allowed, dangerous.)
• DON'T HAVE TO / DOESN'T HAVE TO: Expresses lack of necessity. (It isn't necessary.)
• HAD TO: Expresses past necessity. (Was necessary.)
• DIDN'T HAVE TO: Expresses past lack of necessity. (Wasn't necessary.)

Modals for Possibility, Certainty, and Advice

• CAN'T: Expresses strong negative certainty or impossibility. (I'm not sure, I'm not certain.)
• MAY, MIGHT, COULD: Expresses possibility or probability. (Perhaps, maybe, it's possible.)
• SHOULD: Expresses advice, recommendation, or what is ideal. (It is better, if I were you, I advise you, it is a good idea. Shouldn't: it is not a good idea.)
• SHALL: Used for suggestions or offers (often formal or questions). (I suggest, why not.)

Modals for Ability

• CAN: Expresses present ability or skill. (I'm good at.)
• COULD: Expresses past ability. (When I was, ability.)
• BE ABLE TO: Used to express ability in various tenses (especially future). (In the future, next.)

Advanced Vocabulary Reference List

A comprehensive list of nouns, adjectives, verbs, and prefixes categorized for easier learning and application.

Personality Traits and Emotions (Nouns and Adjectives)

• Ability (n), able (adj)
• Aggression (n), aggressive (adj)
• Assertiveness (n), assertive (adj)
• Boldness (n), bold (adj)
• Confidence (n), confident (adj)
• Defensiveness (n), defensive (adj)
• Frustration (n), frustrated (adj)
• Generosity (n), generous (adj)
• Guilt (n), guilty (adj)
• Happiness (n)
• Impatience (n), impatient (adj)
• Importance (n)
• Independence (n), independent (adj)
• Innocence (n), innocent (adj)
• Intelligence (n)
• Laziness (n), lazy (adj)
• Modesty (n)
• Nervousness (n)
• Openness (n)

Social Interaction and Communication Verbs

• Cooperate with, copy, fight with, help, laugh with, look at, play with, smile at, talk to, throw something at, trust, understand.

Gestures and Social Actions

• Answer the phone, apologize, bow, catch someone's eye, greet, hold hands, hug, interrupt, kiss, queue, shake hands, sneeze, touch, wave.

General Nouns and Concepts

Culture, fake, laughter, stress, weapon, yoga.

Science, Innovation, and Technology Vocabulary

• Adapt, clone, design, develop, inspiration, invent, observation, replace, researcher, revolution, test, tester.

Prefixes and Related Terms

This section includes words formed using anti-, inter-, micro-, mis-, multi-, over-, pro-, re-, and under-.

• Anti- words: antibiotic, anti-globalization, anti-social, anti-technology.
• Bio- words: biotechnology, bioterrorism.
• Inter- words: interactive, intergalactic, international.
• Micro- words: microorganism, microwave.
• Mis- words: misunderstand.
• Multi- words: multicoloured, multi-ethnic, multinational, multi-purpose, multi-storey, multi-talented.
• Over- words: overcook, overeat, overproduce, overspend, overestimate.
• Pro- words: pro-democracy, probiotic, pro-GM, pro-technology.
• Re- words: redesign, renew, resend, reshape, rethink, rewrite.
• Under- words: undercook, underestimate.

Descriptive Adjectives (Shape, Function, Quality)

• Attractive, unattractive, bacon-shaped, battery-operated, boot-shaped, ceramic, child-friendly, chocolate-shaped, delicious, disposable, dustproof, eco-friendly, economical, eye-catching, funky, giant-sized, heart-shaped, high quality, huge, inflatable, life-sized, long-lasting, low-cost, pocket-sized, practical, recycled, round, shockproof, silly, solar-powered, straw, stylish, tiny, tough, useful, useless, waterproof, wooden.

Common Prefix Pairs

• (Extra)ordinary
• (Un)modified
• (Ab)normal
• (Ir)reversible
• (Ir)regularity