modal auxiliary

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Noun Phrase

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WORDNET DICTIONARY

Noun modal auxiliary has 1 sense

modal auxiliary(n = noun.communication) modal, modal auxiliary verb, modal verb - an auxiliary verb (such as `can' or `will') that is used to express modality;

is a kind of auxiliary verb

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CIDE DICTIONARY

modal auxiliary, n.

Any one of the auxiliary verbs of English, such as can, may, will, shall, must, might, could, would, or should, which are used together with the infinitive form of another verb to express distinctions of mood{2}, such as uncertainty, possibility, command, emphasis, and obligation. [PJC]