Grammar: Groups & phrases: Verb group: Adjusting interactions: modality
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Expressing 'inclination' |
What is inclination?
Inclination refers to the area of meaning between I
will do and I will not do. Inclination is similar to obligation in
that they are both concerned with the area of meaning between do and don't;
however, obligation is about what a speaker wants someone else to do, whereas
inclination is about what a speaker is willing to
do. What we are
doing is expressing a form of modality called 'inclination'. 
When we are interacting with other people, we need some way of telling people what we are willing to do. A typical situation is when we are promising to do something:
| I will do my homework as soon as I get home. |
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In English, we have a number of ways of indicating inclination. |
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For more information, see:
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