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Thread: Is "dare" a modal verb?

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    imakedon is offline Newbie
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    Default Is "dare" a modal verb?

    Which of the two below is a correct English phrase please (Oh, no, not “neither”, huh?):
    (a) I would not dare to unscrew…
    OR
    (b) I would dare not to unscrew…
    (“Dare” specificity is meant here).
    Thanks.
    --Igor

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    emsr2d2 is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: Is "dare" a modal verb?

    Quote Originally Posted by imakedon View Post
    Which of the two below is a correct English phrase please (Oh, no, not “neither”, huh?):
    (a) I would not dare to unscrew…
    OR
    (b) I would dare not to unscrew…
    (“Dare” specificity is meant here).
    Thanks.
    --Igor
    In the right context, you could use both. The first is more likely.
    Remember - correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing make posts much easier to read.

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    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: Is "dare" a modal verb?

    Neither of these sentences does much to demonstrate whether dare can be a modal verb. Dare can behave like a modal verb sometimes- when we say I daren't tell them, it is. It is sometimes classified as a semi-modal, like need, which means that it can behave like a modal or like an ordinary verb.

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    5jj's Avatar
    5jj
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    Default Re: Is "dare" a modal verb?

    In neither of those sentences does DARE function as a modal verb.
    emsr2d2 likes this.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
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