modal (Q15606)

A part of speech, usually associated with a verbal system, that expresses the concept of necessity and possibility, as well as the subject's attitude toward the factuality or actualization of the situation expressed by the rest of the clause. Modals can code inception, termination, persistence, success, failure, attempt, intent, obligation or ability vis-a-vis the complement state/event, and the subject of the main clause is obligatorily also the subject of the complement clause. [Palmer 2001: 2; Givon 1984: 533; Huddleston and Pullam 2002: 173]