Modal Verbs
When someone asks you about your plans for the coming
weekend, have you given an answer that shows either that you are very certain
or uncertain about what you intend to do?
“What are you doing this Saturday afternoon?”
“I might watch a
movie.”
At a restaurant or cafe, has a waiter asked you the
following questions before?
“May I take your
order now?”
“Would you like
more water?”
The sentences contain modal verbs. Modals can be used to
express a possibility or make an offer or a request.
Read on to find out all the different ways to use modal
verbs.
Modal verbs are used
to express the following things:
ability
|
permission
|
request
|
offer
|
suggestion
& advice
|
obligation
& necessity
|
logical
deduction, speculation & possibility
|
Prediction
|
Willingness
|
ability
|
I can swim (positive
sentence)
I cannot/can’t swim (negative sentence)
I could swim well
when I was young. (past ability)
permission
|
Can I buy a
cupcake? (most common way of asking for permission)
May I buy a
cupcake? (formal way of asking for permission)
Could I buy a
cupcake? (formal way of asking for permission)
request
|
Can you buy me a
cup of coffee? (most common way of asking for permission)
Could you buy me
a cup of coffee? (formal way of asking for permission)
offer
|
Can I carry your
bags?(most common way of asking for permission)
May I carry your
bags? (formal way of asking for permission)
Shall I carry your
bags? (‘shall’ is used with ‘I’ or ‘we’)
suggestion & advice
|
Different degrees of providing suggestions
Providing a general suggestion
|
You could visit
the beach resort over the weekend.
|
Providing a stronger suggestion
|
You should
visit the beach resort over the weekend.
You ought to
visit the beach resort over the weekend.
|
Providing a very strong suggestion
|
You must visit
the beach resort over the weekend.
|
‘Could’ can be used to give a suggestion when an option is
given.
For dinner, I could make beef or fish.
obligation
|
She must be
punctual on her first day of work. (positive sentence)
She must not/mustn’t be late on her first day of
work. (negative sentence)
logical deduction, speculation & possibility
|
It could be Peter
at the door. He said he would be visiting us today. (expressing uncertainty)
It could not/couldn’t be Peter at the door.
(negative sentence)
It might be Peter
at the door. He said he would be visiting us today. (expressing uncertainty)
It must be Peter
at the door. He said he would be visiting us today. (speculating about present
events)
It could have
been Peter at the door. (speculating about a possibility in the past)
It could not/couldn’t
have been Peter at the door. (speculating about a possibility that did not
happen in the past)
Should you need
help, please do not hesitate to contact me. (possible future event)
The driver may have been speeding along the
expressway. (possibility of an event happening in the past)
The driver might have
been speeding along the expressway. (possibility of an event happening in the
past)
prediction
|
You will love the
latest comedy.
You will not/won’t love the latest comedy.
willingness
|
My brother will take
the dog for a walk.
My brother would
take the dog for a walk when he finished dinner. (willingness to do something
in the past)
My brother would not/wouldn’t take the dog for a walk when
he finished dinner. (negative sentence)
She would jog in
the park before dinner. (past habit)
Modal Verbs and the
Infinitive
Use the bare infinitive after modal verbs.
Would Jack go to the library after school?
It might rain heavily tonight.
Click HERE to
learn more about infinitives.
Let’s Practise
Underline the correct answer.
1.
(Should / Could) you need more information on
the competition, please contact the organisers.
2.
We (might / can) be going to the zoo next
weekend.
3.
You (could / should) have been bitten by mosquitoes
when you went to the wetlands.
4.
(Could / Might) you show me the way to the
nearest train station?
5.
I (shall / would) put aside some money every
month to save enough for a cruise at the end of the year.
6.
My father loved our pet dog and he (should /
would) spend an hour playing with it after work every day.
7.
You (shall / should) return the library books on
time so that you (cannot / would not) incur a fine.
8.
Mary (could not / will not) have been the last person
to leave the room as Ann (would / must) have left an hour later.
Answers:
1.
Should
2.
might
3.
could
4.
Could
5.
shall
6.
would
7.
should, would not
8.
could not, would
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