modal auxiliary

Save This Word!

noun

Grammar. any of the group of English auxiliary verbs, including can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, and must, that are used with the base form of another verb to express distinctions of mood.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 12

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of modal auxiliary

First recorded in 1930–35

Words nearby modal auxiliary

mockumentary, mock-up, mod, modacrylic fiber, modal, modal auxiliary, modality, modal logic, mod cons, modding, mode

Example sentences from the Web for modal auxiliary

We retooled music, which sounds sort of small and auxiliary, but I think we figured out a way to help the audience.
‘Michael J. Fox Show’ Creator: We’re Not Canceled…Yet|Kevin Fallon|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
None of this will be easily accomplished, and America has only an auxiliary role.
How the U.S. Will Lose Egypt|Geoffrey Wawro|January 31, 2011|DAILY BEAST
General Monet operated in the north against the rebels with Spanish and native auxiliary forces.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The stars were auxiliary lights, and had all been specially, and at the same time, created for the good of man.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford

In Preston we have three churches, besides an auxiliary chapel, wherein priests of the Jesuit order labour.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
She behaved nobly, but with her small auxiliary steam power she could scarcely hold her own.
The British Expedition to the Crimea|William Howard Russell
For a very long period the schools in connection with St. Mary's have formed an excellent auxiliary of the church.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY