jueves, 30 de marzo de 2017

Failed inventions....

1. Did you know that in the 1970s, Henry Smolinski and Harold Blake invented the AVE Mizar, a flying Ford Pinto? It could fly up to 12,000 feet and reach up to 130 miles an hour. One minor problem was the car's right wing, it failed one trial run in 1973, then it failed later again that year in a crash that killed both inventors. And that is the first of many failed inventions, either practically or commercially,..
2. , Mattel's game console Intellivision was released in 1979 to compete with the Atari 2600.
The invention itself wasn't bad, it has since been named number 14 on IGN's list of greatest game consoles of all time, but it wasn't successful. 
Within four years of its release, Mattel had lost 394 million dollars and was on the brink of bankruptcy.

lunes, 13 de marzo de 2017

Modal verbs

The modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They are used with other verbs to express ability, obligation, possibility, and so on. Below is a list showing the most useful modals and their most common meanings:

ModalMeaningExample
canto express abilitycan speak a little Russian.
canto request permissionCan I open the window?
mayto express possibilitymay be home late.
mayto request permissionMay I sit down, please?
mustto express obligationmust go now.
mustto express strong beliefShe must be over 90 years old.
shouldto give adviceYou should stop smoking.
wouldto request or offerWould you like a cup of tea?
wouldin if-sentencesIf I were you, I would say sorry.



Modal verbs are unlike other verbs. They do not change their form (spelling) and they have no infinitive or participle (past/present). 
The modals must and can need substitute verbs to express obligation or ability in the different tenses. Here are some examples:

Past simpleSorry I'm late. I had to finish my math test.
Present perfectShe's had to return to Korea at short notice.
FutureYou'll have to work hard if you want to pass the exams.
InfinitiveI don't want to have to go.
Past simpleI couldn't/wasn't able to walk until I was 3 years old.
Present perfectI haven't been able to solve this problem. Can you help?
FutureI'm not sure if I will be able to come to your party.
InfinitiveI would love to be able to play the piano.

Modals are auxiliary verbs. They do not need an additional auxiliary in negatives or questions. For example: Must I come? (Do I must come?), or: He shouldn't smoke (He doesn't should smoke).



A quiz on modals: