modal auxiliary

one of certain verbs which appear in the auxiliary to contribute a meaning of mood, subjectiveness, or attitude of the author to the assertion of the sentence, §17-5; the most common m. precede the infinitive form of the verb without the infinitive marker, but some of them require the marker; markers of aspect and voice may appear with the m. in the auxiliary in what is termed the “modal complex.” when other words appear (in combination with the copula or these same markers) in the role of a m. (in which case the verb following is marked as an infinitive), it is termed the “pre-modal complex”; the m., whether together with the pre-modal complex and/or the infinitive marker, is designated the “modal phrase”