grammaticality - Grammar of 'dare' in this example


What is the grammar of the verb 'dare' in the following example?



The pizza was nice but, dare I say it, the salad was awful. 



Is it some type of imperative?



Answer



Dare (like need) is a semi-modal verb, which means that in certain environments (see Negative Polarity), of which Yes/No Questions are one, dare may be used as a modal auxiliary verb.


If you substitute any other modal for dare in the sentence, you'll see what I mean:



  • The pizza was nice but, may I say it, the salad was awful.

  • The pizza was nice but, can I say it, the salad was awful.

  • The pizza was nice but, might I say it, the salad was awful.


These aren't all idioms like dare I say, and of course they don't mean the same, but they illustrate how modals work in questions. The only unusual thing is using dare as a modal verb here.


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