ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part looks at constraints governing which modal combinations are and are not possible, and at both the syntax and semantics of the constructions. The problem of course is that it is well known to be the case that English permits only one modal to occur in this position in the verb phrase. The part deals with the south-west of England pronominal system, also discussed by Paddock, and more especially with dialect forms of the present tense of be. It shows that standard verb forms have infiltrated Sydney English much more in subordinate clauses, which Ihalainen might well want to claim are lower in prominence, than in main clauses. The part also shows that passive and perfective verb forms behave differently, as do past and present perfectives.
