The class of auxiliary verbs that express mood or attitude and include must, can, could, will, would, may, might, shall, and should is called?

• A. Modal Auxiliary Verbs
• B. Auxiliary Verbs
• C. Lexical Verbs
• D. Prepositions

Answer: (A)

Modal auxiliary verbs are a specific subset of auxiliary verbs used to express modality—mood or attitude toward the action—such as necessity, possibility, permission, or ability. The words must, can, could, will, would, may, might, shall, and should all function this way: they come before the main verb to convey these shades of meaning, and they behave differently from other auxiliaries. They attach directly to the main verb without “to” and without adding -s, and questions or negatives are formed with the modal plus the base verb (Can you go? You must not go). This precision is why they’re labeled modal auxiliary verbs. Broader “auxiliary verbs” would include be, have, and do, which help with tense, aspect, or voice rather than expressing modality. Lexical verbs are the main verbs with full lexical meaning, and prepositions are a different part of speech altogether.