The study of the topic of modal verbs is important for regular language learners, who get acquainted with the English language on various levels for communication, travelling, business management and other purposes. However, it gets even more significant for the students of the School of Foreign Languages, who focus not only on their language proficiency but also on a deep dive into the language structure, inner and outer relations of its constituents, the intricacies in the meaning of these or those word combinations and phrases and their dependence on the particular situation they are used in. As modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that express English speakers’ intentions and attitude, they reflect details and meanings, especially ability, possibility, obligation, necessity and certainty [2], enabling greater and clearer understanding of the message.
The teaching of the topic Modal verbs is usually based on the second type of complete orientation, when a teacher uses a direct or a grammar-translation method in order to get their students acquainted with all possible meanings, patterns and specific features of modal verbs, which can depend on the context and speaker’s intentions. While the latter method is considered to be rather old-fashioned [3, p. 8] as it involves rule memorizing and monotonous translation of the sentences with modal verbs or gap filling, a direct method is interesting due to its focus on widening students’ knowledge, thus is student-centered [1]. However, its overall implementation fails to prevent not only teachers from offering students similar repeated types of tasks but also students, as the result, from lacking interest in doing them. It happens as even the most entertaining grammatical exercises can restrict students with a certain limited number of sentences and paragraphs, recommended to them for consideration and practice. In order to diversify the process of learning about the existence of modality as well as to deepen the existing knowledge of students on the mentioned topic, it seems to be a good idea to additionally suggest watching films and series, particularly historical, which can help students to become passive participants of discursive situations unfolding in the audiovisual contexts.
The students in the role of audience will be able to see how modal verbs are used in real-life conversations, different situations and even time periods. For example, teachers explain the rules for using such modal verbs as can and could and how to differentiate them contextually from such word combinations as to be able to and to be allowed to in the meanings of physical abilities and permissions respectively but only on the theoretical level, thus, when following characters of films and series, students finally get the opportunity to see nuances and distinctions in the use of these modal verbs and their equivalents, depending on the speaker’s intentions, discursive context and chosen communicative behavior strategies and tactics.
Diving into the plot, students start noticing various examples of sentence making with the implementation of modal verbs with undertones of request, suggestion, order, the latter of which has significantly changed in the contexts they are used in within the years. For instance, if the students are offered to watch a historical drama or series, which dive into previous epochs, they may hear the words shall and ought to, used in everyday conversations before but considered to be outdated and too formal nowadays, especially in American English. Besides, a wide variety of audiovisual production by British, American, Australian and other companies allow students to learn the specifics and nuances in the use of modal verbs in the variations of English and see the distinctions not only in the pronunciation, characteristic of different English speaker representatives, but also in the sense that modal verbs help to convey between communicators.
What is more, this task can help language learners to draw parallels between auxiliary verbs expressing modality and non-verbal means of communication like mimics and gestures, apart from tone, volume and intonation, which emphasize the discursive specifics together with intentions of characters and add to what is being said verbally. A great example is the use of might + Perfect Infinitive for emotional reproach for undesirable past actions. In its written form, the sentence with such a word combination ends with an exclamation mark to show extensive emotionality while in a film or in series this detail may be stressed with a louder tone, character’s frowning and extensive hand gestures, which is much easier to remember from the viewer’s perspective to then utilize together with the pattern of might + Perfect Infinitive as an association for one’s own communication.
To sum up, the implementation of films and series in the English language learning curriculum for teaching students how to express ability, possibility, offers, suggestions, permission, prohibition, orders, necessity, will and certainty can enlarge students’ knowledge, diversify the studying process, demonstrate a high number of true-to-life examples of modal verb use and show historical variations of a particular modal verb application in different types of discourse. The complementary status of this activity allows teachers to both explain the theoretical part of the topic or coordinate students’ own research and provide them with additional practice. So, If a teacher provides their students with a list of films or series to watch, the latter can enjoy the combination of educational and entertaining elements of the project, learn more about English-speaking countries and modal verbs, develop their listening and comprehensive skills, enlarge their vocabulary, unintentionally as well, and involve critical thinking necessary for writing a report about the results and impressions after watching these or those films or series and / or engaging in a discussion with the teacher and groupmates during a summarizing lecture or lesson.
References
1. Direct method | TeachingEnglish | British Council. URL: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-development/teachers/knowing-subject/d-h/direct-method. (Last accessed: 21.03.2024).
2. Modal verbs and modality – Grammar – Cambridge Dictionary. URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/modal-verbs-and-modality (Last accessed: 21.03.2024).
3. Siefert Th. R. Translation In Foreign Language Pedagogy: The Rise and Fall of the Grammar Translation Method. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University. 2013. 273 p. URL: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10952296. (Last accessed: 21.03.2024).
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