modal adverbs
{{Short description|Type of adverb that is used to indicate modality, such as "probably"}}
Modal adverbs are adverbs, such as probably, necessarily, and possibly that express modality, i.e., possibility, necessity, or contingency.{{Cite book |last=Matthews |first=Peter |title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |location=Oxford}}{{Cite book |last=Huddleston |first=Rodney |title=The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language |last2=Pullum |first2=Geoffrey K. |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |location=Cambridge |pages=768}}
In English
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language provides the following non-exhaustive list of modal adverbs at different levels of strength.{{Cite book |last=Huddleston |first=Rodney |title=The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language |last2=Pullum |first2=Geoffrey K. |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |location=Cambridge |pages=102}}
Strong: assuredly, certainly, clearly, definitely, incontestably, indubitably, ineluctably, inescapably, manifestly, necessarily, obviously, patently, plainly, surely, truly, unarguably, unavoidably, undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably
Quasi-strong: apparently, doubtless, evidently, presumably, seemingly
Medium: arguably, likely, probably
Weak: conceivably, maybe, perhaps, possibly
= Syntax and meaning =
Modal adverbs often appear as clause-initial adjuncts, and have scope over the whole clause,{{Cite book |last=Huddleston |first=Rodney |title=The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language |last2=Pullum |first2=Geoffrey K. |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |location=Cambridge |pages=436}} as in (1) with the adverb in bold.
- Probably, the biggest push for corruption prosecutions came in the mid-2000s.
This has the same meaning as (2) with the paraphrase using the modal adjective (in bold).
- It is probable that the biggest push for corruption prosecutions came in the mid-2000s.
Without the comma, the adverb has scope only over the NP only, as in (3).
- Probably the biggest push for corruption prosecutions came in the mid-2000s.
This can be paraphrased as (4).
- It is probable that push for corruption prosecutions that came in the mid-2000s was the biggest such push.
There is a tendency for modal adverbs to follow auxiliary verbs but precede lexical verbs, as shown in (5–8) with the adverbs in bold and the verb underlined.
- That's probably going to fail.
- That probably failed because of poor planning.
- It could possibly help me.
- It possibly helped me.
See also
References
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