Like with most English words and expressions, they have their own grouping and are called ‘modal verbs’. Modal verb types Modal verbs are either single-word modals or phrasal modals.

Modal verbs support other verbs in a sentence to indicate possibility or necessity. Learn about modal verbs with BBC KS3 Bitesize.

The modal system in English is unique among verbs (lack of an -s ending, occurrence without to before an infinitive, tense forms without corresponding time reference), with individual modals-partly ...