Pelyvás, PéterTiba, Ivett2013-06-142013-06-142009-12-172013-06-14http://hdl.handle.net/2437/170907The topic of the English modal verbs is a very complex and wide-ranging field. They show such unique characteristic features that draw a well-defined borderline between the modals (and primary verbs in auxiliary function) and the class of full or lexical verbs. In the first chapter I will describe the behaviour of the modals on purely syntactic grounds and I will also try to make a distinction between the three main categories of the verbs. These features form a basis for the discussion of their present-day behaviour and for a comparison of their status in Old and Middle English.54encognitive linguisticsmetaphorsmodalsdiplomamunkaDEENK Témalista::Nyelvtudomány::Nyelvészetip