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Modal Verbs_explanation

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that express necessity, possibility, permission, ability, obligation, advice, expectation, and deduction. Key modal verbs include can, could, may, might, must, have to, should, and ought to, each serving different functions in communication. The document outlines the usage of these verbs in various contexts such as ability, obligation, prohibition, necessity, and advice.

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5 views

Modal Verbs_explanation

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that express necessity, possibility, permission, ability, obligation, advice, expectation, and deduction. Key modal verbs include can, could, may, might, must, have to, should, and ought to, each serving different functions in communication. The document outlines the usage of these verbs in various contexts such as ability, obligation, prohibition, necessity, and advice.

Uploaded by

virginia.mestres
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are special auxiliary verbs used to express necessity, possibility,
permission, ability, obligation, advice, expectation and deduction.

The main modal verbs in English are: can could, may, might, must, have to,
should, ought to, need.

The Types of Modal Verbs


 Ability: can, could, be able to

Can and cannot/can’t are often used to express ability in the present.

 She can speak three languages.


 He can’t rollerblade.
 Can you sepak Italian?

Could or could not/couldn’t are often used to express past ability:

 When I was younger, I could run fast.


 I couldn’t read when I was four.

Be able to + infinitive can be used instead of can to talk about ability but be able
to is more formal and is not as common.

We can use can and be able to to talk about general ability in the present.

 She can speak Japanese. She’s able to speak Japanese.


 She can knit. She’s able to knit.

We can use could and be able to to talk about general ability in the past.

 My son could walk when he was 11 months old.


 My son was able to walk when he was 11 months old.

In negative sentences, both could and be able to can be used to say that we were
not capable of doing something on a specific occasion.

 It was very dark, and they couldn’t find the exit.


 It was very dark, and they weren’t able to find the exit.

 Possibility: may, might

 It may rain later.


 He might come to the party.
 They might go to Italy.
 He might not be here next week.
 I might not have time to go out.

 Permission: can, may, could


Can is used for informal permission.

 Can I leave early today?


 Can I sit here?
 You can use my car if you like.
 Can I make a suggestion?

May is used for formal permission. If we want politely request for


permission, we use could.

 May I use your phone?


 May I see your passport, please?
 Could I ask you something?
 Could I interrupt?
 Could I borrow your car?

 Obligation: must, have to


We use have to and must to express obligation. There is a slight difference
between the way we use them.

Must expresses strong obligation or necessity. It often shows us that the


obligation comes from the speaker (or the authority that wrote the
sentence). We don’t use must to express obligation in the past. We
use have to instead.

 I must phone my mum. It’s her birthday today.

Have to also expresses obligation. Have to shows us that the obligation


comes from outside the speaker (AN EXTERNAL OBLIGATION). We
call this ‘external obligation’. You must wear a seatbelt.

 I have to finish my homework by tomorrow.


 A bus driver has to have a driving licence.

 Prohibition: mustn’t, can’t


Must not/mustn’t expresses strong prohibition. We use it in order to show that
something is prohibited or not allowed. It is common on public signs and notices
informing people of rules and laws.

We use mustn’t particularly when the prohibition comes from the speaker.
 You must not smoke here.
 Visitors must not park in the staff car park.
 Baggage mustn’t be left unattended.
 Guests mustn’t make noise after 10 p.m.
 (Parent to child) You mustn’t say things like that to your sister.
 (Teacher to student) You mustn’t be late to class.
 I mustn’t let that happen again.

Cannot/can’t expresses prohibition or impossibility.

We use can’t to talk about something that is against the rules, particularly when
we didn’t make the rules.

 What does this sign say? Oh, we can’t park here.


 You can’t take photos in the museum. They’re really strict about it.
 Sorry, we can’t sell knives to under-18s.

 Necessity: must, have to, have got to, need to


Must expresses a strong necessity. It is the strongest of these modal verbs
and is most common in writing. We usually don’t use must in questions.

Have got to is most common in informal speech. It is not used in


questions.

Have to is the most commonly used modal of obligation. It is useful for


forming questions and negatives. There is only one way to express past
time with these modal verbs: had to.

There is no past tense of must and have got to. Need to expresses necessity,
often in a practical sense.

The verb need is a semi-modal. It is a normal verb and also a modal verb.

 I have got to study tonight.


 You need to renew your passport.
 They had to get up early yesterday.
 Did you have to work last weekend?

 Lack of Necessity: don’t have to, don’t need to, needn’t


Don’t have to indicate that something is not necessary.

Needn’t or don’t need to expresses lack of necessity.

 You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.


 I didn’t have to do the laundry last night.
 You needn’t worry about it.
 You don’t need to bring your textbook for the lesson.
 Advice: should, ought to
Should offers advice.

 You should take an umbrella.


 She should keep to a healthy diet.
 They shouldn’t drink so much coca cola.

Ought to is similar to should but slightly stronger.

 You ought to see a doctor.


 You ought not go to bed so late.

 Expectation: should, ought to


Should expresses expectation.

 They should arrive by noon.


 Helen should be in London by next week. Her new job starts on Monday.

 Ought to expresses a strong expectation.

 He ought to be here by now.

 Deduction or speculation: must, can’t, may, might, should,


ought to
Modal verbs of deduction are used to express how certain we are about
something, based on the information we have. They allow us to speculate or
make guesses and conclusions about past, present, or future situations.

Deduction about the Present

Must indicates a strong degree of certainty (almost sure) that something is


true.

Can’t/cannot indicates a strong degree of certainty that something is not


true.

Might/may/could indicate possibility but with less certainty (not sure).

 She must be at work; her car isn’t in the driveway.


 He can’t be the thief; he was with me the entire time.
 She might be at home, but I’m not sure.
 He could be the one who left the door open.

Deduction about the Past


Must have + past participle indicates a strong degree of certainty that
something happened.

 She must have forgotten about the meeting.

Can’t/Couldn’t have + past participle indicates a strong degree of


certainty that something didn’t happen.

 He can’t have finished the project so quickly; it’s too difficult.

Might/May/Could have + past participle indicate that something possibly


happened, but with less certainty.

 She might have left her phone at home.


 They could have taken the wrong train.

Deduction about the Future

Should indicates an expectation based on evidence or logic.

Ought to is similar to should, indicate a strong expectation.

 The package should arrive tomorrow.


 They ought to finish the work by next week.

Won't is a modal verb. It is the short form (contraction) for 'will not'. It is the negative of
the word 'will'. It is used to talk about future tense.

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