摘要：Modality is always interesting to discuss. Understanding it is crucial for both language teachers andlearners. This essay discusses the concept of modality, its types and uses. It has a goal to find the differencebetween deontic and epistemic modality that is indicated by their modal verbs. It also provides the readers abetter understanding of modality, particularly of its types and uses. The result of the analysis shows that ingeneral, deontic modality indicates obligation and permission, while epistemic modality expresses possibilityand prediction. However, the difference between deontic and epistemic modality is not a clear cut, since onesingle modal verb can express both types, and one single proposition can be expressed by more than one modalverb.
