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Reference.org
Modal word
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<p>Modal words are words in a language that express <a href="/facts/Modality_(linguistics)/hQmMKH2s">modality</a>, i.e., possibility, necessity, or contingency. One kind of modal word is the <a href="/facts/Modal_verb/hxmu50RP">modal verb</a> (<i>should</i>, <i>can</i>, <i>might</i>, and <i>ought</i>, as well as <i>oblige</i>, <i>need</i>, and <i>require</i>). Other types of modal words in English include <a href="/facts/Modal_adjective/EQrvhYem">modal adjectives</a> (<i>likely</i>, <i>probable</i>, <i>necessary</i>), <a href="/facts/Modal_adverbs/H5MnNItB">modal adverbs</a> (<i>probably</i>, <i>perhaps</i>, <i>certainly</i>), modal prepositions (<i>despite</i>, <i>unless</i>, <i>if</i>), and modal nouns (<i>possibility</i>, <i>probability</i>, <i>certainty</i>). </p>