Need is a semi-modal verb, meaning that it behaves in some ways like a modal verb and in other ways like a main verb. It is used to form questions, negations, and conditional clauses. It also forms part of some idioms. It can also be used as an adjective. For example, a needy person is someone who always wants more. The word need can also be used as a synonym for the word necessary, but this is less common.
A need is something that is essential or required for a person’s survival or overall quality of life. It can vary from a basic physiological need such as food, water, and shelter to more complex emotional, social, or intellectual needs. A need can be satisfied by a variety of means, including self-fulfillment, gratification, or reward.
The meaning of the word need is closely related to that of the word requirement. Both describe necessary conditions, but need and require have slightly different connotations. Need is often thought of as more emotional or personal, while require has a more formal or impersonal feeling to it. For example, a person might say that they need to feel loved, while a company might need to meet regulatory requirements.
Unlike some other English verbs, need does not have any past tense forms. It can be used in the present tense, along with the verb to be and a past participle, to form the phrase I need to. However, this is not a very common usage, and it is generally more formal than the modal verbs can and may. It is also used with some idioms, such as a need to go and a need to come back.
Plural countable and uncountable nouns usually need an article when they refer to a specific group or subset of the whole, such as all the dogs in the world or all the letters that were written in the language. They do not need the article when they refer to a general idea, however, and even if they are referring to a single noun that is well known to the writer and reader, such as letters or bicycles.
When using the article, you must be careful not to confuse it with other determiners such as articles (the/a/an), demonstratives (this/that/those), and quantifiers (some/all/none). It is also important to remember that there are times when nouns do not need an article at all – for instance, the names of people, sports, languages, meals, and some animals.
In negative statements, you use the indefinite article a when the noun is common knowledge. For example, you can say that the earth needs to be saved, but you cannot say that the universe does not need to be saved. The indefinite article a is also used when you are talking about something that could happen, but that does not necessarily need to. For example, you can say that the government needn’t spend so much money on defence, but you can’t say that the earth does not need to be saved.