You should pay attention to the so-called semi-modal verbs - need And let. They are called semi-modal because they behave in two ways in sentences. We can use verbs need And let as semantic verbs using auxiliary verbs to construct negative and interrogative forms of sentences. But at the same time, their use coincides with the properties of the modal verb.
Let's look at each verb separately:
Need - necessary, necessary
As a semantic verb | Like a modal verb |
He doesn`t need to wake up early, his guests will arrive in the evening. — He doesn’t need to wake up early, his guests will arrive in the evening. | I needn`t register the purchase today, I`ve got discount before. — I don’t need to register the purchase today, I received a discount earlier. |
Does he need to wake up early to be at the airport in time? — Does he need to wake up early to be at the airport on time? | Need I register my purchase to get a discount? -Do I need to register my purchase to receive the discount? |
IN positive verb in sentences need, as a rule, is used as a semantic verb.
Heneed s to wakeupearlytomeethisguestsfromPolandintime - He needs to wake up early to meet the guests from Poland on time.
Ineed to registermypurchasetogetadiscount. — I need to register my purchase to receive the discount.
Let - allow, allow, let's, let
To compare verb properties let for modal and semantic, study the table below.
As a semantic verb | As a modal verb (used as “permit, allow” and “let”) |
Alla let s her son watch TV before 10 p.m. – Alla allows his son to watch TV until 10 pm (You should pay attention to the fact that in all cases after the verblet it is necessary to use the infinitive without particlesto ). | Let's Alex announce the winner. — Let Alex announce the winner. |
Alla doesn`ttlet her son watch TV after 10 p.m. — Alla does not allow his son to watch TV after 10 pm. | Let's Alex not announce the winner let Natasha do it. - Let Alex not announce the winner, let Natasha do it. (There is also another option for using negation with the verblet , you should pay attention to how the meaning of the sentence changes) Don`t let Alex announce the winner. - Don't let Alex announce the winner. |
Moreover, the verb let has one unusual property. When using a pronoun in the objective case us after the verb let, that is letus= let`s, it will have an incentive value “ Let's!”.
For example:
Let` s findtherightdecision! - Let's find the right solution!
In a negative sentencenot comes after let`s:
Let`snot stayhereforlong. - Let's not stay here for long.
You should pay attention to the composition of the dividing question using let`s.
Let's organize grand party, shall we? - Let'swe will organizeluxuriousevening, Fine?
Let`snot scanallthedocumentsatonce,shall we ? - Let's not scan all the documents at once, okay?
"Tail" shallwe always used with the expression let`s in both positive and negative sentences.
English Joke
The debutante was alarmed over the prospect of being taken in to dinner by the distinguished statesman.
"Whatever can we talk about?" she demanded anxiously of her mother.
Afterward, in the drawing-room, she came to her mother with a radiant smile.
"He's fine," she exclaimed. "We weren't half way through the soup before we were chatting cozily about the fleas in Italian hotels."
One of the most interesting lexical units of the English language is the verb tolet, having a basic meaning "allow" and occurring in sentences before the infinitive of another (semantic) verb without particleto. This characteristic indicates the grammatical similarity of the verb tolet with modal verbs. Below we will consider the question of its modality, but first we should pay attention to the meanings of this wonderful verb.
Meanings of the verb to let
|
allow, allow |
Let me tell you how it all happened. |
Let me tell you how it all happened. |
|
allow, allow |
Don'tletwater drop on the sensitive screen of the device. |
Do not allow drops of water to fall on the sensitive screen of the device. |
|
let in |
Open the window, please! Let's get some fresh aircomeintothe room. |
Open the window please! Let some fresh air into the room. |
|
let in, let out (the meaning is determined by the subsequent preposition into /out(of ) /from ) |
At that moment, I didn’t mean to let anybody into my life. Let this bird out of the cage and you will hear how wonderfully it sings. |
At that moment I didn’t want to let anyone into my life. Release this bird from its cage and you will hear how wonderfully it sings. |
|
skip (through) |
Don't let them through! They are very tricky criminals. |
Don't miss them (don't let them pass)! They are very cunning criminals. |
|
order or permission in the imperative mood, corresponding to the Russian “let” |
Let them do a little work instead of me. Let these people shut up! Everything they say is a lie! |
Let them do a little work for me. Let these people shut up! Everything they say is a lie! |
|
ought "must, let" in combination with another verb in InfinitivePassive |
Let this news be heard! Let this task be done by the evening. |
Let this news be heard! This task must be completed by evening. |
|
encouragement, invitation to action (often joint) “let’s…” |
Let'sI have a look at your project. Let us find a random place on the map of our country and take a trip there next vacation! |
Let me take a look at your project. Let's find a random place on the map of our country and travel there next holiday! |
|
assume, assume, agree with the assumption |
Let A be equal to B. Let’s say that at this time he was home alone… Let’s say that the car moved with a speed of 100 km/h… |
Let's say A equals B. Let's say that at that time he was at home alone... Let's say that the car was moving at a speed of 100 km/h... |
|
rent out |
Her parents let her room for the time of her absence. |
Her parents rented out her room while she was away. |
|
command, order, force |
The old womanlether husband return to the sea to ask the Goldfish for a palace. |
The old woman told the old man to return to the sea to ask the goldfish for a palace. |
Grammatical features of the verb to let
The verb to let is one of these important and common irregular verbs in English speech, and this, in turn, means that it has special three forms that must be memorized.
|
the IPfinitive |
thePAst SimpleeTense |
thePAst PArticiple |
|
Don't forget to let they know about your arrival. / Not forget it give them know O his arrival. |
George let his nephew drive his car yesterday./ George let his nephew drive his car yesterday. |
James was let spend an extra day at home./
|
The grammatical forms corresponding to the tenses are presented below:
|
Simple |
Continuous |
Perfect |
Perfect Continuous |
|
|
Present |
let /lets Matthew lets his brother take his bike. / Matthew lets his brother take his bike. |
am / is / are letting Right now my granddad is letting we look at his collection of art. / Right now, my grandfather is letting us look at his art collection. |
have/has let Who has let do you do this? / Who let you do this? |
have / has been letting James has been letting his grandchildren visit the zoo free for all the years he has been working as a zoo caretaker. / James allows his grandchildren to visit the zoo for free throughout the years he works as a zookeeper. |
|
Past |
let My father let my brother drive his car yesterday. / My father let my brother drive his car yesterday. |
was/were letting As I was eight, my father was letting me take his bike from time to time. / Since I was eight, my father let me borrow his bicycle from time to time. |
had let Nobody had let him enter the secret chamber until he did it on his own. / No one allowed him to enter the secret room until he did so himself. |
had been letting James had been letting his grandchildren visit the zoo free for five years by the time it was learned by the local authorities. / James had been allowing his grandchildren to visit the zoo for free for five years by the time local authorities found out about it. |
|
Future |
will let Your parents will never let you marry a girl from a poor family. / Your parents will never allow you to marry a girl from a poor family. |
will be letting At 10 o'clock the tour guide will be letting us visit the treasure chamber of the castle. / At 10 o'clock the guide will allow us to visit the castle treasury. |
will have let By this time tomorrow the whole group will have let visit the secret places of the castle. / By this time tomorrow, the whole group will be allowed to visit the secret places of the castle. |
will have been letting Next week James will have been letting his grandchildren visit the zoo where he works at as a caretaker free for five years. / Next week it will be five years since James has allowed his grandchildren to visit the zoo where he works as a keeper. |
To Let means to allow, for example:
She lets her children play until 10 p.m.
There is also a second meaning - “to rent out”.
She lets her apartment to a young couple.
No matter how paradoxical it may seem, let’s in its meaning is not far from its predecessor.
Using the expression Let's
Let's is a shortened form of the two words let and us. Typically, this abbreviation is used to denote commands for the first person plural (i.e., "we"). Sentences with this word usually end in an exclamation point. However, if the team expresses minimal enthusiasm, you can call it a day.
Let's invite him to our place!
Let's finish it today.
You don’t have to shorten it - use it let us, but it’s better to do this in some formal contexts. As a rule, parties at home are not such a serious event.
So the difference is this:
Let's is the third person singular form of let.
Let's is a plural form of the command, which is translated into Russian as “let’s...”.
You can observe the use of the English words lets and let's using examples:
He lets the dog out every evening.
Let's tell our friends the whole truth.
How to test yourself?
To make sure you are using the words lets or let's correctly, try replacing 'let's' with the synonym 'allow us to' when you are building a command. This is, of course, an additional measure, but if you are not sure, it is better to play it safe. For example:
With ‘Let’s’ it is necessary: Let’s have a snack. - “Let's have a snack.”
With ‘allow us to’: Allow us to have a snack.
The second option makes sense. Of course, it is too formal, but grammatically correct. In writing, you are unlikely to replace ‘let’s’ with ‘allow us to’, but keeping this replacement in mind, you are unlikely to make a mistake with your choice.
To remember better, here is a table with examples of the use of Lets and Let's.
Table. Examples of using Lets and Let's.
|
Let's go to the mall. |
|
Sally lets her brother use her bicycle on weekends |
|
Guys, let's go to the beach. |
|
Okay. We're all ready. Let's go. |
|
Let’s stop now and have some lunch, shall we? |
|
Let's not argue about money. |
|
My mother lets me come. |
|
Jenny lets her leave early. |
|
My boss lets me leave early. |
|
Let's have a drink. |
|
Alice's mum lets her come with us. |
A few notes on using let's
Let's remember that after let"s comes the infinitive without the particle to.
If you want to make up a question “with a tail” with this phrase, or, as it is called in English, a tag question, then this return question looks like this - shall we?
It's hot outside. Let's go to the beach, shall we?
If you want to refuse such an offer, then you need to answer ‘No, let’s not’.
You also need to remember that let is only used in the present simple tense. If you want to play with tenses, then use its substitute - allow to do something.
They didn't allow us to leave the house.
She has never allowed her children to tell lies.
In conclusion, let's note that let is also .
To better understand the material, we suggest you take a short test on your knowledge of the words lets and let's.
Test. Which is correct, Lets or Let's?
01 She ___ the dog out every morning
02 ___ consider all the facts.
03 ___ forget this ever happened.
04 Google ___ you find the web page you were looking for.
05 ___ see how it can be done.
These sentences are used to motivate a person to do something. Order, request, prohibition and so on are all imperative sentences. There are two types of imperative sentences: affirmative and interrogative.
Let's consider affirmative sentences:
1). These sentences begin with a predicate, the subject is omitted
Example:
Give me a pencil - Give me a pencil.
Read this article - Read this article.
2). Direct word order
Example: Don`t forget to call her- Don't forget to call her.
Interrogative sentences:
1). Will you or won`t you are often placed at the end of imperative sentences
Open the door, will you? - Open the door, please.
Wash the dishes, won`t you? - Wash the dishes, please.
2). An imperative sentence can begin with will or would.
Example: Would you close the window? - Close the window, please
Sentences with let`s - come on
Let`s stands for let us - let us. After let`s is used without the particle to.
Example:
Let`s play piano - Let's play the piano.
Let`s have a party - Let's have a party.
Also at the end of sentences with let`s shall we is often used.
Example:
Let`s dance, shall we? - Let's Dance
Let`s go to the park, shall we? - Let's go to the park
In imperative sentences you can only use let
Example:
Let her come in- Let her come in!
Let them take it - Let's take it.
Often, to express the imperative form, you can simply use it without the particle to.
Example:
Go left- Go left
Write the letter - Write a letter
The negative form in an imperative sentence is formed using an auxiliary verb do and negative particle not
Example:
Don`t do it - Don't do this!
Don`t cry - Don't cry.
In order to strengthen the request, place it before the verb. do
Example:
Do watch this movie - Be sure to watch this movie!
Do let her come in- Let her come in!
Our speech is not complete without a request, order, advice, invitation, prohibition, command, etc. We know that in English there are three moods: indicative mood, conditional mood and imperative mood mood). The imperative mood in English or imperative mood which expresses the urge to action. And of course, verbs are involved here.
The affirmative form of the imperative mood will help us with this. This form of the imperative mood of the verb in English is represented by the initial form without the particle to, that is, the form that we see in the dictionary. In such sentences there is no subject, but only verbs and minor members of the sentence. Advice, orders, requests, etc. are addressed to the second person, both singular and plural.
Examples of requests, advice and orders in English:
- Close the window, please, it is cold. — Close the window, please, it’s cold
- Read this book, it is very interesting. — Read this book, it’s very interesting.
- Speak with Thomas, he knows what to do. - Talk to Thomas, he knows what to do
- Look at me. - Look at me
- Come to me on Sunday. - Come see me on Sunday.
A request, advice, etc. can also be expressed in a negative form:
- Don't be afraid, please! - Don't be afraid, please!
- Please, don't tell Andy anything. - Please don't say anything to Andy.
- Don’t watch that movie, it is boring. - Don't watch this movie, it's boring.
Order and prohibition in the imperative mood
A prohibition or an order is expressed in a sharper, more rigid form. As a rule, an exclamation point is placed at the end of such sentences:
- Close the door! - Close the door!
- Shut up! - Shut up!
- Sit down! - Sit down!
- Shut your mouth! - Shut up!
- Bring your copy-book right now! - Bring your notebook right now!
If we want to express a prohibition in English, then we usually use the negative form of the imperative mood + the verbs we use:
- Don't open! - Do not open!
- Don’t call me, I am busy! - Don't call me, I'm busy!
- Don't touch me! - Dont touch me!
- Don't enter! - Do not enter!
- Don't smoke! - Do not smoke!
Let is an auxiliary verb in the conditional mood
The imperative mood in English allows for various variations. If you want to address the first or third person in the conditional mood, then the verb will help you let(allow, permit), followed by a direct object (noun or pronoun). This addition identifies the person to whom the order is given or who is asked for something. After this construction there is an infinitive of the verb without a particle to:
- Let me see your photo. - Let me see your photo (let me see)
- Let me have a look at this. - Let me look at this
- Let him speak! - Let him speak!
- Let them help us! - Let them help us!
- Let her put on this dress. - Let her wear this dress.
If you want to express an invitation or call to joint action, then the formation of such a form of the imperative mood in English requires the use of the construction let us (let's). It is translated with the word “let’s”, or is completely omitted.
- Let us discuss this question. - Let's discuss this issue
- Let's see what we can do with this. - Let's see what we can do about it
- Let's begin our lesson. - Let's start our lesson
- Let's invite them to us! - Let's invite them to us
- Let us be polite. - Let's be polite.
It is also worth mentioning the strengthened form of the imperative mood. In English it is expressed by the verb “ do» before verbs in the imperative mood. Remember simple examples:
- Do be attentive! - Be careful!
- Do finish your work, you are so lazy! - Well, finish your work, you are so lazy!
- Do forgive me: I didn’t want to insult you! - Well, forgive me: I didn’t want to offend you!
This is what it is - the imperative mood in English. As you can see, nothing complicated. There are no additional auxiliary verbs, changes in tenses, etc. Therefore, we wish you good luck in using the imperative mood in speech!