Limiting Use of Modals with ESL Beginners

I make it a regular practice to teach modals to my intermediate and advanced ESL students. I describe modals as those words that give "feeling" or extra meaning to verbs. I also explain how they can be used to sound generally more polite, especially when making requests.

However, I limit my teaching of modals when I work with beginning ESL students. Although, I may suggest that they memorize certain phrases like, "May I have a cup of coffee."

I'm thinking about modals tonight because I was watching my all-time favorite reality show, "Amazing Race." In short, this is a TV show about pairs of people racing around the world. I love this show because it's yet another way for me to travel vicariously.

Tonight, the teams were in Taiwan. Only one of the teams had a member who spoke "Chinese," so most of the others were stumbling along and looking for help from the locals without speaking the local language. One team member asked for directions by saying to a local, "Would you be able to show us?" The American was obviously trying to be polite by using the modal, "would." However, I thought that a more simple way to say this in English would be something like, "Please, show us," or even, "Could you please show us."

When speaking to beginning English language learners (not necessarily when teaching, but just when communicating), native English speakers need to find a balance between being polite and the use of modals.

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Using "I was wondering if..."

I read an email from a friend today. She started the email with "I was wondering if you made it to the show." I was a little confused by the email. I thought she hadn't read a previous email that said that I was at the show. I then thought about it awhile and realized she meant that in the past (the night of the show), she had been wondering if I was present at the show.

It made me think about my ESL students and how such a phrase as "I was wondering if..." could be confusing. "I was wondering if" uses the Past Progressive tense. Yet, native English speakers often use this as an opening for a request. For example, "I was wondering if you could lend me $10." Another way this could be expressed is "Could you please lend me $10?"

"I was wondering if..." is a way to "soften" a request. However, if a non-native English speaker hears this, he or she would be justified in thinking this is a past tense event.

English is just a bit confusing.

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Making Suggestions with Should or Could

When I teach my ESL students the use of “should” when offering advice or making suggestions, I always mention how it might be better to use “could” instead of “should” to soften the suggestion or advice. For some reason, most Americans hate to be told what we should do. Some of us have this internal flinch that happens when we’re told what we should do.

So instead of “You should leave for work earlier so you won’t be late every day,” I would say, “You could leave for work earlier so you won’t be late every day.”

Or, "You could practice your English every day," vs. "You should practice your English every day."

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Teaching Helping Verbs to ESL Students

Teaching Simple, Progressive and Perfect tenses involves teaching “helping” or “auxiliary” verbs (what they are called depends on the grammar book or the teacher). Conjugation of the helping verbs needs to be taught before the more complex Progressive or Perfect tenses; and certainly before the Perfect Progressive tenses!

The helping verb for Simple tenses is “to do.” Here are some examples.

I do not want to work so hard.
Do you want something to eat?
He didn’t like the dessert.

The helping verb for Progressive tenses is “to be.” We use “am,” “is” or “are,” and “was” or “were.” Here are some examples.

I am eating dinner. I was eating dinner.
She is eating dinner. She was eating dinner.
They are eating dinner. They were eating dinner.

The helping verb for the Perfect tenses is “to have.” Here are some examples.

I have traveled to France.
We will have traveled to 20 countries by the time we return.

These are only a few examples using helping verbs. The main point here is the importance of “to do,” “to be,” and “to have” and how ESL students must know how to conjugate these verbs before they can thoroughly learn each of the English verb tenses.

ESL and EFL students will often have trouble when one of these helping verbs is used in a sentence as a helping verb AND the main verb. For example, “I did not do my homework last night,” or “He has had six wives.”

One other note. Some authors will refer to modals (e.g., should, might, may, etc.) as helping verbs. I’m using the term here to refer to those verbs that are needed in order to form all the English tenses (namely, “to be,” “to have,” and “to do”).

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What is a Modal?

Yesterday, I wrote a little about the modal “should” and the false modal “had better.” But what is the definition of modals and how are they used?

Modals are words like “can,” “must,” “will,” “should,” “might,” etc. There are actually a lot more than this little list. Azar’s, Understanding and Using English Grammarhas a great table of modals with different tenses and explanations of how they are used. I always make a copy of this for my ESL students.

When I explain modals to my students, I tell them that they are words that change the “mood” of a verb. I often use these examples:

I eat cake. (In this sentence, we have the simple present tense of the verb “eat.”
I will eat cake. (“Will” here has two functions: a prediction for the future and also I’m expressing my determination to do something.)
I must eat cake. (Perhaps I’m expressing my desperation here!)
I should eat cake. (I’m giving some advice to myself.)
I might eat cake. (Maybe I’ll have some cake and maybe I won’t. I don’t know.)

On paper, you might need the explanations for the meanings that these modals convey. But when you are speaking to your student, you can speak the modals with the feelings or moods that they convey. This usually helps the student to understand the meaning. Of course, I then have them practice modals with other verbs. (It’s just that I work in a coffee shop with great desserts, so I’m always thinking about eating cake!)

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Using “Had Better”

Most English grammar resources list “had better” with modals. Technically, it’s not a modal but acts very much like one. When I teach modals to my ESL students, I always include “had better” in the lessons.

The important thing I’ve noticed about students who already use this “false modal” is that they use it interchangeably with “should.” Instead of saying, “You should brush your teeth every day.” They will say, “You had better brush your teeth every day.” The difference between “had better” and “should” may not make a big difference when talking about brushing one’s teeth, but the impact may be different if a supervisor says, “You should take an English class,” or “You had better take an English class.”

“Should” is advice. “Had better” is a very strong recommendation with the threat of a serious consequence. It’s almost as if the speaker is saying “or else” at the end of a sentence. For example, “You had better take an English class or else you will lose your job.”

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