Needn't/ in sentence

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Needn't/ in sentence
Message from yo112 posted on 30-12-2015 at 05:15:35 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Could you help me please?
can needn't be in a sentence ? I have not often seen it in sentences.
Thank you in advance.

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Edited by lucile83 on 30-12-2015 07:07

Re: Needn't/ in sentence from gerondif, posted on 30-12-2015 at 13:07:48 (D | E)
Hello,
Yes, it can.

There are several "need" verbs.

1) One is a normal lexical verb, using the auxiliary verb do or did:

I need a pen to write.
I don't need this car any more.
I need to see you. Do you need to see me ? Yes, I need to / No, I don't need to.
Did you need that book last night after all ? No, I didn't. No, I didn't need it. I didn't use it.

2) Need can also BE an auxiliary verb, but only in the present tense in the interrogative and negative forms only.

Need I go to this meeting ? I have an awful lot of work to do at home!
No, you needn't // No, you needn't go to this meeting.
(notice need is an auxiliary verb. It can be inverted with the subject and it takes the negative n't)

Yes, you need to go to this meeting! (Ah, here, you have to resort to the normal lexical verb.)
Yes, you have to go to this meeting!
Yes, you must go to this meeting.

The meaning is close to:

Do I have to go to this meeting ?
Yes, you have to go to this meeting.
No, you don't have to.
No, you don't have to go to this meeting.

As there is no past for this auxiliary verb, sometimes, they will keep it in the present tense in a past sentence.
Need he come yesterday ?
The normal sentence should have been:
Did he need to come yesterday ? (lexical verb)

"You shouldn't have come yesterday" is close in meaning to " you needn't have come yesterday" which is much lighter than "You ought not to have come yesterday" sometimes written "You oughtn't to have come yesterday" rather rare and hard to pronounce.

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