If the verbs in the grammar of any language denote the performance of an action of an object, then the function of modal verbs is to show the attitude of the speaker to the ongoing action. And it, in turn, will be expressed in various ways.
All you need to know about the verb have
The topic of this article is devoted to the verb had, but you cannot start studying the topic without realizing that this verb is only the past form of the verb have. In order to learn about the verb had, you need to have an idea about have. This verb is the most important in English. It is important not only because in conversation we often talk about our property, but also because it is often found in set phrases and is never literally translated. Had is one of the variants of have, which is involved in the formation of some tenses of the English language. The verb have is used in 4 ways.
1. It has its own direct meaning, that is, it acts as a semantic verb and is translated to have. For example, to say "I have a lot of friends", the English say I have a lot of friends. That is, literally this sentence can be translated as "I have a lotfriends".
2. Occurs in stable phrases and expressions. Here, this verb no longer has a translation to have. This is because set phrases do not have a literal translation. Here are some expressions that come up quite often.
2.1 Eating statements:
Have a tea - drink tea, not have tea.
2.2 Expressions related to dates and appointments:
Have a date - date, not have a date.
2.3 Appearance statements:
Have a haircut
2.4 Communication:
Have a talk - talk, talk.
2.5 He alth:
Have a baby - give birth to a baby.
Have a headache
2.6 Travel:
Have a walk - go for a walk or take a walk.
3. Occurs as a modal verb have to.
4. Expressed as an auxiliary verb in Present Perfect tense.
The had variant occurs in the Past Simple, Perfect and Perfect Continuous tenses.
What are the modal verbs in English
The following verbs are considered modal in English: can, must, need, shouldd, have to, may, need, dare, might, be to, shall, ought, have got to.
If modal verbs like have, be and should are auxiliary, then have, get, need and be have meaning.
Functionsmodal verbs
As you know, modal verbs are intended to indicate the relationship of the narrator to a particular action. So you should consider the functions that modal verbs express during a conversation.
1. physical possibility. For example, Helen is 20 years old. She can be in full employment. - Elena is 20 years old. She may be employed full time. That is, by law, she is allowed, and she has the right to do so.
2. Expresses the inability to perform a certain action. For example, Mike can't swim. - Mike can't (or can't) swim.
3. Expresses the need (duty) for action. - We must respect our parents. We must (should) respect our parents.
4. Expresses lack of necessity. We do not have to buy products. - So we don't have to buy groceries. This is not necessary.
5. Expresses a prohibition on an action. Jack must not do it. - Jack shouldn't be doing this. That is, he is forbidden to perform a certain action.
6. Expresses confidence in action. He should be glad. - He must be glad. The speaker is sure of it.
7. Expresses a probability. They ought to be in now. - They are probably inside (the building) now.
8. Expresses a hypothetical possibility. The weather can get cold in October. - It can get colder in October. That is, it is theoretically possible.
9. Express a request for permission to perform an action. Can I open the window? - Can I open the window?
10. Expresses prohibition or permission. She may not use my laptop. - She can't use my laptop. You may use my phone. - You can use my phone.
How the verb had is used in English
In fact, the verb had is have in the past tense. As you know, have to is a modal verb, or to be more precise, the equivalent of must. Must, in turn, has a very strong meaning, which denotes the obligation to perform a certain action. Based on the foregoing, it is concluded that have to, being the equivalent of must, is also one of the rigid verbs. If these verbs are encountered during the conversation, then this is not a request, but an order!
Let's give examples of the use of have to in different tenses, pay attention to the tense in which the verb had was used.
She has to do it. - She has to do it (present tense).
She had to do it. - She had to do it (past tense).
She will have to do it. - She will have to do it (future tense).
In the second sentence, the modal verb had to is used in the past tense.
Difference between must and have to
The modal verb must is used for personal feelings. Let's give an example: I must do it. I have to do it. This example shows the narrator expressing his feelings about a particular action.
I have to visit my dentist. Here it is shown that the speaker has problems with his dental he alth and needs to visit his dentist. Herethe fact is shown, but not any personal emotions and feelings.
But often the line between these two modal verbs is so thin that people get confused when using them. When such situations arise, it is better to use have to.
It should be remembered that, unlike have to, the modal must has no past tense. Thus, the equivalent of have to can be used in all forms, including the past tense. In the past tense, have to becomes the modal verb had to.
I had to visit my girlfriend. In this tense, you cannot use the verb must. Since it is past, the verb had is used here.
Using the verb had in the negative form
The negative form of the verb had becomes have. To understand why had becomes have, it is enough to recall the rule of the past tense. The verb had is used in the past tense, which means that when negated, it is preceded by did not, which means that had turns into have.
In British English, in interrogative sentences, the verb to have almost always comes before the subject, but in American English, the question begins with the word Do. This also applies to the negative form. Here is a simple example:
Have you two sisters? - here is the British version.
In the American version, this question would begin with Do: Do you have two sisters?
Also, the verb Had can be found in the formation of a sentence in Present Perfect tense. It should be recalled that thistense expresses an action that began in the past and continues or ended at the time of the conversation. As you can see, this rule contains the past tense, which means that the verb Had found its time here.
It should be remembered that when using had, the tense of the verb must only be past. This means that it cannot be used during a conversation in the present and even more so the future tense.
In what tenses is the verb had
The fact that the verb had is used in the past tense is already clear, it is worth analyzing the use of had in the formation of two more English tenses.
To form the Past Perfect, the following construction is needed:
verb had (past tense) + verb in the third form, or to put it more simply, the third column of irregular verbs.
Let's give an example, I had never seen him before - hence it is clear that the verb seen is the third form of the verb see - to see.
The Past Perfect Continuous is not the most common of all English tenses. This time can only be found in books. But it is worth studying to understand the whole tense system of the English language.
The time is formed using the verb Had been + ing.
For example, We had been feeling well for some time.
That, in fact, is all about the topic of the verb have and its past form had.
