A LOGICAL APPROACH ON MODAL VERBS
A LOGICAL APPROACH ON MODAL VERBS

Summary/Abstract: The present article aims at a possible logical approach to discussing the modal auxiliary verb will, including its importance in the English verb and tense system. Being one of the central modal verbs, we argue that will is neither “the future” auxiliary, nor “the conditional” auxiliary, primarily based on the ideas developed by Michael Lewis (1986). Thus we support the idea that the core meaning of will is connected to the concept of inevitability, which comes to complete Palmer’s distribution of modal verbs, expressing epistemic, deontic and dynamic meanings. After presenting will as a central modal auxiliary, we discuss its various uses relying on authoritative sources published for international (English), Hungarian and Romanian students. Possible issues of teaching will are also dealt with, supported by data from a popular TV series containing modal verbs. The conclusion discusses the importance and relativity of number of occurrences, trying to offer a possible teaching option for modals stemming from practice.

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