Abstract

Considering the definitions of modality and the distinctions made between different types of modality, the paper focuses on the modal verbs as modalizers (belonging to one of the four classes of modalizers) in idiomatic expressions (idioms and proverbs). It is based on a comparative- contrastive approach to the use of such modalizers in the English idiomatic expressions and the different ways of rendering them in Romanian. Special attention is paid to the modalled idioms and proverbs, i.e. those including one or more modal verbs.