Asignatura Transversal

Comunicación Profesional en Inglés

Unidad didáctica 3. Modal verbs

UD 3. Modal verbs ........................................................................................................... 3

1. Content ...................................................................................................................... 4

1.1. Features of Modal Verbs .......................................................................................... 4

Features of Modal Verbs (II) .......................................................................................... 5

Features of Modal Verbs (III) ......................................................................................... 6

1.2. Use ...................................................................................................................... 7

1.2.1. Certainty ......................................................................................................... 7

1.2.2. Obligation ........................................................................................................ 8

1.2.3. Other uses ....................................................................................................... 9

1.3. Can /Could / Cannot (Can’t) / Could not (Couldn’t) ................................................... 10

Can /Could / Cannot (Can’t) / Could not (Couldn’t) (II) ................................................... 11

1.4. May / Might / May not / Might not (Mightn’t) ........................................................... 11

1.5. Will / Would / Will not (Won’t) / Would not (Wouldn’t) .............................................. 12

Will / Would / Will not (Won’t) / Would not (Wouldn’t) (II) ............................................... 13

1.6. Shall / Should / Shall not (Shan’t) / Should not (Shouldn’t) ....................................... 14

1.7. Must /Must not (Mustn’t) ....................................................................................... 15

1.8. Have to / Do not (Don’t) have to ............................................................................ 15

1.9. Had better (’d better) / Had better not (’d better not) ............................................... 16

1.10. Suggestions ....................................................................................................... 17

2. Summary ................................................................................................................. 19

3. Conceptual map ........................................................................................................ 20

4. References ............................................................................................................... 21

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UD 3. Modal verbs
In this unit, we will thoroughly study Modal Verbs. May, might, can, could, should, etc. are key
in English and it is essential to use them properly to communicate effectively. In this unit, you
will find explanations and practical examples that will allow you to become a proficient user of
Modal Verbs. In addition, we will show you different ways of making suggestions in English.

Figure. Study Modal Verbs. Fuente: Pixabay.

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1. Content

Did you know…?

Spanish and Romance languages in general do not have Modal Verbs as a grammar category.
To convey modality, Spanish speakers resort to verbs and periphrasis such as poder, deber,
tener que, ser capaz de, etc.

Modal Verbs are auxiliary verbs used to communicate modality. They can express (un)certainty,
(im)possibility, (un)likelihood. We also use modals to convey ability, permission, requests and
offers, etc.

Figure 1. London horizon. Fuente: Pixabay.

1.1. Features of Modal Verbs

In terms of grammar, Modal Verbs are atypical. Below you will find some of their most distinctive
features:

 Modal Verbs are mainly invariable (except for have to). They do not take a final –s for the 3rd
person singular in Present Simple. Only some of them have forms used to refer to the past.

E.g. I can speak English.

He can drive a bus. (NOT He cans drive a bus)

She must be ill (NOT She musts be ill)
She must have been ill. - Past
She could drive a bus. - Past

 As Auxiliary Verbs, they share properties with the verb to be in questions and negative
sentences. They invert the subject-verb order for questions; whereas negative sentences are
formed by adding NOT after the Modal Verb (contractions are possible):

E.g. Can you swim? (NOT Do you can swim?)

She shouldn’t be doing that, should she? (NOT She doesn’t should…)

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 May I come in? (NOT Do I may come in?)

 They are followed by the bare form of the verb: infinitive without to (except for ought to and
have to).

E.g. I must go now. (NOT I must to go now)

You ought to listen more.

Progressive, perfect and passive infinitives are also possible.

E.g. She may not be working tomorrow.

He was so angry he could have killed him.

The car ought to be fixed one of these days.

Features of Modal Verbs (II)

 Modal Verbs do not have an infinitive form or participles (to may, maying, mayed do not
exist). They do not normally have past forms, though would, could, should and might can
sometimes be used as past tenses of will, can, shall and may. Other expressions are used
when referring to the past.

E.g. I’d like to be able to dance ballet. (NOT …to can skate)

Students really had to work hard those days. (NOT Students really musted
work…)

Figure. Studying. Fuente: Pixabay.

 Certain past ideas can be expressed by a Modal Verb followed by a perfect infinitive (have +
past participle).

E.g. You should have told me you were coming.

He thinks he may have annoyed us.

 Modal Verbs have contracted negative forms (can’t, won’t, etc.) which are used in an informal
style. Will and would also have contracted affirmative forms (’ll,’d).
 There is quite often used as a preparatory subject with modal verbs, especially when these
are followed by be.
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 E.g. There may be rain later today.

 The Semi-Modal need can be used either as a Modal Verb or as a Lexical Verb.

E.g. You needn’t come. (Here is used as a Modal Verb; therefore, it doesn’t need an
auxiliary verb, it’s not followed by to and doesn’t have the 3rd person –s in Present Simple).

She doesn’t need to be here. (In this case, it is used as a lexical verb; it requires
the auxiliary do, it takes the 3rd person –s and is followed by an infinitive).

Figure. English-Speaking Countries. Fuente: Pixabay.

Features of Modal Verbs (III)

Note

Some other verbs such as dare, need or used to are considered Semi-Modals.

You can find the main Modal Verbs in present and past forms in the following table. However,
bear in mind that some “past” forms are not necessarily used as such; they can convey a different
meaning, such as improbability or uncertainty in the present or the future:

You couldn’t use mobile phones some decades ago. (=The subject here is referring to the past.)

I could go to visit her but I don’t think I’ll do. (=The subject here is referring to the future.)

Can Could

May Might

Will Would

Shall Should /Ought to

Must / Have to

Had better

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1.2. Use
Modal Verbs are normally used to talk about things we expect, which are or are not possible,
which we think are necessary, which we want to happen, which we are not sure about, which
tend to happen, or which have not happened, etc.

E.g. She may arrive soon. — Possibility

He could be in New York, London or Paris now – nobody knows. — Uncertainty

We can’t swim. — (In)ability

I think they ought to see a lawyer as soon as possible. — Advice

We must really tidy up the room. It’s a mess!! — Obligation

What would she do if she had a year off? — Speculation

Burgos can be very cold in winter. — Probability

I think you should have consulted a doctor earlier. — Advice

You might have told me your mother was ill. — Reproach

1.2.1. Certainty
Modal Verbs are used to refer to different degrees of certainty:

Likelihood (positive or negative)

Somebody’s knocking at the door. That can’t be Laura. She is in London.

It must be Tom.

Everything will be all right.

They all knelt in front of the boy who would rule all England one day.

Possibility

He should/ought to be here soon.

It shouldn’t/oughtn’t be difficult for them to get there.

They may be buying a new house.

The water may not be warm enough to have a shower.

Weak probability

We might see each other again – who knows?

Things may not be as bad as they seem.

We could all be rich one day.

Probability

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 Alicante can be very warm in December.

Young children may have difficulty in understanding abstract ideas.

Conditionals

If we had enough time, things would be easier.

I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have to.

If Sarah came, we could all go home together.

I couldn’t have done it without your help.

If you stopped criticising me, I might get some work done.

1.2.2. Obligation
Modal verbs are used to refer to obligation (or lack thereof):

Strong obligation

Students must contact their tutor at the beginning of the term.

All the staff will arrive for work by 8.30 am.

I have to go now.

Need I get a Visa for USA?

Prohibition

Students must not use their mobile phones in class.

Films may not be taken out of the youth centre.

You can’t come in here.

Weak obligation: recommendation

You should study more if you want to pass the exam.

Eva ought to wash her hair this evening.

They had better start behaving well.

You might want to see what your wife thinks.

Willingness, volunteering, resolving, insisting and offering

If you will come this way...

We should be grateful if you would let us know your decision by Monday.

She’ll definitely study harder next term.

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 He will keep bothering people.

Shall I give you a hand?

Permission

Note

Note that obligation, permission etc. are usually seen from the speaker’s point of view in
statements and the hearer’s in questions. Compare:

- You must go and see the doctor ASAP (As Soon As Possible). (I think it is
necessary).

- Must you go and see the doctor? (Do you think it is necessary?)

- You can borrow my car. (I give you permission).

- Can I borrow your car? (Will you give me permission?)

Can I borrow your car?

May I use your phone?

Do you think we might take a break now?

Absence of obligation

You needn’t work this evening.

You don’t have to work this evening.

Ability

He can speak five languages.

1.2.3. Other uses

Play

And now let’s wrap up this section with the following video. Modals in a nutshell!

Besides the uses discussed above, will and would are used to talk about habitual behaviour (Swan,
1995: 336).

Most evenings she’ll just sit in front of the TV and go to sleep.

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 When we were kids, my dad would take us to the park every afternoon.

 Used to + infinitive is similar to a modal verb structure in some ways. It is used to talk about past
habits and states in the past.

I used to dance a lot when I was younger.

The winter used to be colder when I was a child. (NOT The winter would be colder when
I was a child; would cannot be used to refer to past states; only to past actions.)

Figure. Past-present-future. Fuente: Pixabay.

1.3. Can /Could / Cannot (Can’t) / Could not (Couldn’t)

We use the modal CAN to make general statements about what is POSSIBLE:

It can be very warm in summer here. (= It is sometimes very warm in summer.)

You can easily lose your way in the underground. (= People often lose their way in the
underground.)

We use COULD to express that something is possible in the future, but not certain:

If we don’t hurry the train could depart. (= Perhaps/Maybe the train will depart.)

We use COULD HAVE to show that something is POSSIBLE now or it was at some time in the
past:

It’s ten o’clock. They could have arrived now.

They could have already gone to bed.

We use the negative CANNOT (CAN’T) to express that something is IMPOSSIBLE:

That can’t be true.

You cannot be serious.

We use could not (COULDN’T) to talk about THE PAST:

That couldn’t be true.

He was probably joking. He could not be serious.

We use CAN to talk about someone’s SKILLS or general ABILITIES:

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 She can speak English very well.

I can’t dance.

Figure. We can do it. Fuente: Pixabay.

Can /Could / Cannot (Can’t) / Could not (Couldn’t) (II)

We use CAN to talk about the ABILITY to do something at a given time in the present or future:

You can make a lot of money if you are lucky.

We use COULD to talk about past time:

She could speak English very well.

I couldn’t dance when I was young.

We use CAN to ask for PERMISSION to do something:

Can I go home now?

When used like that, COULD is more formal and polite than CAN:

Could you tell me your opinion?

Could I open the window? It’s too warm inside here.

We also use CAN to give PERMISSION:

You can go home now.

You can borrow my pen if you need.

We use CAN and COULD to MAKE OFFERS:

Can I help you?

I could do it for you.

1.4. May / Might / May not / Might not (Mightn’t)

The most common negative forms are may not and might not. The contracted forms are either
obsolete or very rare.

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We use MAY and MIGHT when:

We are NOT SURE about something (less certainty expressed than with CAN and COULD, and we
are even more uncertain when we use MIGHT):

She may be coming this afternoon. (=There are chances she will come.)

Figure. Uncertainty. Fuente: Pixabay.

To make polite requests (MAY implies a higher degree of politeness than CAN and COULD; MIGHT
is even more polite and formal):

May I borrow your car tomorrow?

Might we come a bit later?

MIGHT is also used as the past tense of MAY in requests:

They wanted to know if they might come later.

We use MAY HAVE and MIGHT HAVE to show that something has possibly happened now or
happened at some time in the past (MIGHT conveys more uncertainty):

They may/might have arrived hours ago. (= Perhaps they arrived hours ago.)

1.5. Will / Would / Will not (Won’t) / Would not (Wouldn’t)

Remember

Go back to Unit 2 for the use of will as an auxiliary of future tenses.

WILL is used:

To talk about the future or to express what we believe will happen:

I’ll (will) wake up early tomorrow.

To talk about what people want to do or are willing to do:

We’ll (will) go to the cinema tomorrow.

To make promises and offers:

We’ll (will) take you home after the party.

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WOULD is the past tense form of WILL and it is used when:

Talking about what people wanted to do or were willing to do in the past:

My brother would not (wouldn’t) lend me his car, so I had to take the train.

In conditional sentences:

If I had money, I’d (would) buy a new car.

As a marker of politeness:

Would you give me a hand with this, please?

WOULD is used in many expressions with different meanings:

Would you / Would mind -ing to express request:

Would you open the door, please?

Would you mind carrying this bag, please?

Will / Would / Will not (Won’t) / Would not (Wouldn’t) (II)

WOULD RATHER is used to express preference:

I’d rather have lunch now.

We use the perfective WILL HAVE when looking back from a point in time when something will
have happened, or looking "back" from the present:

By the end of the century researchers will have discovered a cure for cancer.

I will arrive at six o’clock. He will have got home by then.

It’s half past five. Mary will have finished work by now.

We use WOULD HAVE as the past tense form of WILL HAVE:

It was so late. I knew the concert would have already started.

It was half past five. Mary would have finished work.

Listen

Here you have two of many songs in English in which Modal Verbs are part of the main chorus:
Could you be loved and The show must go on. Enjoy them!

We use WOULD HAVE in past conditionals to talk about something that did not happen:

If I had had a little time I would have gone to the cinema.

We would have been very happy if we had seen you.

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1.6. Shall / Should / Shall not (Shan’t) / Should not (Shouldn’t)
The verb SHALL is used in some varieties of English as quite a formal substitute of WILL,
indicating future, but only when the subject is in first person (I shall, we shall):

I shall come to the reception.

Shall we go?

SHALL in second and third-person is used for an order, command or prophecy (it normally appears
in legal documents or formal texts):

Those convicted of violating this law shall be imprisoned.

SHALL I… is also used for offers and invitations or to ask for advice (it always has a formal
connotation):

Shall I offer you my help?

Shall we call her tomorrow?

SHOULD is used to ask for or to give advice. It can also express weak obligation:

You should wear your hat.

She shouldn’t go to that excursion.

Should I keep studying?

Figure. Books and glasses. Fuente: Pixabay.

In these uses it is equivalent to OUGHT TO (the main grammatical difference is that OUGHT TO
is used with to-INFINITIVE rather than with bare infinitive):

We SHOULD go = We OUGHT TO go.

We can also use SHOULD to imply that something is true or will be true in the future, and to show
you have reasons for your suggestion:

Ask her. She should keep.

It's nearly midnight. They should arrive soon.

SHOULD HAVE is used to talk about the immediate past:

It's nearly midnight. They should have arrived by now.

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1.7. Must /Must not (Mustn’t)
- MUST is used to express:

 An obligation in affirmative sentences:

You must go to school every day.

 A prohibition in negative sentences:

You mustn’t talk to strangers.

 Obligation and necessity:

Must I do the homework for tomorrow?

I’m sorry, but you mustn’t make noise in here.

Figure. Forbidden. Fuente: Pixabay.

- HAD TO is used when we are talking about the past:

You had to stop at the red light.

1.8. Have to / Do not (Don’t) have to

Note

Must or Have to? The difference between these Modal Verbs is not always clear. To learn
more about this topic, watch this video and practice with these activities.

This is the only Modal Verb that has a different form for the third person singular (HAS):

I have to go to work.

She has to go to work.

It also needs the auxiliary DO/DOES for interrogative and negative sentences:

I don’t have to go to school today.

Does he have to do the examination?

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For the past, we use the form HAD TO and the auxiliary DID / DID NOT for interrogative and
negative sentences:

I had to go to work during the holidays.

Did you have to plan your trip two weeks in advance? No, I didn’t.

HAVE TO is mainly used to express:

 An obligation in affirmative sentences (normally when the obligation comes from the
outside):

I have to go to school every day.

 Lack of obligation in negative sentences:

We don’t have to travel to London today.

1.9. Had better (’d better) / Had better not (’d better not)

Travel

Click on this link for more information on Modal Verbs.

HAD BETTER is a modal phrase used to give advice. Although HAD is a past form, the phrase is
used to give advice about the present or future:

You had better tell her everything. (Same as: You should/ought to tell her everything).

I'd better get back to work.

We'd better not come.

It can be replaced by SHOULD but using HAD BETTER suggests that if the advice is not followed,
we will suffer some negative consequence:

I'd better get back to work or my boss will be angry with me.

Figure. Questions. Fuente: Pixabay.

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1.10. Suggestions
Suggestions are everyday expressions that can be used both in formal and informal situations,
orally or in writing.

In this section, we will learn the basics of general suggestions in terms of grammar and meaning.

Suggestions in English can be expressed in the affirmative or interrogative sentences.

Let’s have a look at a couple of examples first to study the syntax:

Let’s go to the park

Why don’t we go to the park?

Play

Why not watching now the following videos to see how these suggestions can be used in
daily conversation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmzLIgoQnAk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnz6TgaRMVM

In the first example, the construction let’s is used to invite the listeners/readers to do something.

Let’s is always followed by the base form of verbs (infinitive without to):

Let’s do something.

Let’s go to the cinema.

As we have seen in the example above, suggestions can also be made as questions. Why…?
Followed by negative forms is used to make this kind of suggestions:

Why don’t we play football now?

Why don’t we visit the doctor tomorrow?

Why don’t you go to the gym?

Figure. Suggestion box. Fuente: 123rf.

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Sometimes, we make suggestions indirectly; that is, saying that we want to do something
implicitly, as in the following examples:

We could always see a film.

I would like to order pizzas.

There are other ways to make informal suggestions. These are normally found in oral speech:

Fancy a drink?

How about going to the cinema?

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2. Summary
By the end of this unit you should have learnt that Modal Verbs are a special type of English verbs
that work as auxiliary verbs. They are grammatically and morphologically different from lexical
verbs in English. They include can, could, (don’t) have to, may, might, must, mustn’t, needn’t,
ought to, shall (mainly British English), should, will and would. They are used before the base
form of other verbs, they are mainly invariable and serve to express modality (obligation,
permission, ability, etc.). In addition, after completing the unit you should be familiar with
different ways of making suggestions in English.

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3. Conceptual map

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4. References

Main resources

Cruz, J. and P. Trainor. (1989).Curso de sintaxis inglesa. Madrid. Taurus Universitaria

Lingüística.

Eastwood, J. (1994). Oxford Guide to English Grammar. Oxford. Oxford University Press.

Murphy, R. (2012). English Grammar in Use. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Sánchez Benedito, F., et al. (2001). A New English Grammar for Spanish Speakers. Granada.
Comares.

Swan, M. (1995). Practical English Usage (2nd edition). Oxford. Oxford University Press.

Swan, M. & C. Walter. (1997). How English Works. A Grammar Practice Book. Oxford. Oxford
University Press.

Additional resources

VV.AA. (2007). Longman English Business Dictionary. London. Pearson.

VV.AA. (2012). Cambridge Essential English Dictionary. Cambridge. Cambridge University

Press.

VV.AA. (2012). Collins Gem. Diccionario inglés: (español-inglés, inglés- español). Barcelona.
Grijalbo.

VV.AA. (2014). Collins English Dictionary. London. HarperCollins.

Other resources

BBC Learning English. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/>

British Council: Modal Verbs. <https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-

grammar/modal-verbs>

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. <

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/>

English-Spanish dictionary. <http://www.wordreference.com/es/>

Leo Network: The English Grammar. <http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/verbmodal.html>

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. <http://www.ldoceonline.com>

Onestopenglish. < http://www.onestopenglish.com/index.asp?catid=59495>

Oxford Living Grammar: Intermediate.

<https://elt.oup.com/student/livinggrammar/int/b_exercises/ba_questions/?cc=us&selLangu
age=en>

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