English Language Learners Asked by RickSterling on October 8, 2020
Can we use short answers as a proving method for modal verbs? The rule regarding the short answer to affirmative or negative statements is to repeat the auxiliary verb. eg:
“I can fly.”
“So can I.”
“I shouldn’t stop eating.”
“Neither should I.”
I was taught that “Have to” is not a Modal Auxiliary Verb because it fails this test. eg:
“I have to run.”
“So do I.”
But what about Must?
“I must be getting old.”
“So must I.”
“I must be crazy!”
“So must I!”
Is that really correct? It seems strange to me, but I’d accept it if someone could show evidence to support it. My inclination is to find ways around saying this, but maybe that’s out of fear of sounding like a character from Lord of the Rings. I guess this is where “me too” comes in to save the day.
In short, yes.
An auxiliary verb (abbreviated aux) is a verb that adds functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears, so as to express tense, aspect, modality, voice, emphasis, etc. Auxiliary verbs usually accompany a main verb.
"must" has 2 functions: deontic modality
You must not mock me.
and epistemic modality
It must have rained.
as for your question,
"I must be crazy!"
"I must be getting old."
Both correspond to epistemic modality.
So, "must" is an auxiliary verb.
Answered by WXJ96163 on October 8, 2020
Auxiliaries are important in spoken conversation because the patterns with them are regularly used in it. They are used instead of repetition of lexical verbs in short answers. The syntax with a modal verb 'must' is governed with the so called the auxiliary pattern. The complexity of using auxiliary pattern of the modal verb 'must' is that some short answers with it needs some change of modal verbs. For example, He must be a brother of this student. No, he can't be.
As for your question, a useful link https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/254021/so-must-i-or-so-do-i-in-place-of-of-course/25403
Answered by kngram on October 8, 2020
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