Modal auxiliary verbs

!
!

can! ! could! ! may! ! might!

will! ! shall! ! should! must!
ought to! ! need to! ! had better!

!
!
!
! GRAMMAR TO REMEMBER
Modal verbs have no ’s’ in the third person singular.

e.g. She may know his address (NOT She mays…)

!
Questions/tags/short answers are made without DO.

e.g. Can you swim?

He shouldn’t do that, should he? - No, he shouldn’t.

!
With most modal verbs, we use the infinitive of the second verb without TO.

e.g. I must water the flowers (NOT I must to water….)

Ought to/need to are exceptions

!
Progressive/Perfect/Passive infinitives are also possible.

e.g. I may not be working tomorrow.

She was so angry she could have killed him.

A child could understand his theory (active).

His theory could be understood by a child (passive).

!
Modals do not usually have past forms.

e.g. People had to work hard in those days (NOT People musted work…)

BUT

Certain past ideas can be expressed by a modal + have + past participle (perfect infinitive)

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

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
 Modal auxiliary verbs
!
!
MEANINGS: degrees of certainty or obligation/freedom to act

DEGREES OF CERTAINTY!
Situation exists/doesn’t exist!
Situation is possible!
Less probable!
Theoretically/habitually possible!
Conditional possibility!

Try and explain the meanings of the following sentences:

• You must be tired.

• If John came, we could all go home.

• We may be buying a new house.

• Some children may have difficulty understanding this theory.

• We could all be millionaires one day.

• New England can be very warm in September.

• That can’t be John - he’s in Dublin.

• If I had enough time, this exam would be easy.

• She should be here soon.

• I might see you again - who knows?

OBLIGATION/FREEDOM TO ACT!
Prohibition!
Strong obligation!
Recommendation!
Absence of obligation!
Insisting & offering!
Ability!
Permission!

!
Try and explain the meanings of the following sentences:!
• Students must not use the staff car park.

• Shall I give you a hand?

• All staff will arrive for work by 9:00 a.m.

• She can speak five languages.

• You might see what John thinks.

• You needn’t do this exercise.

• I’ll pay for the drinks.

• Students must register at the office in the first week of term.

• You can’t come in here.

• Can I borrow your car?

• May I use the phone?

• You should try to work harder.

!
 Modal auxiliary verbs
!
Must, can’t, may, might, could
!
CERTAINTY

- A: There’s someone outside in an orange car.

- B: It must be Susan. She’s the only person I know with an orange car.

- You’ve had a long flight. You must be tired.

!
We use MUST when we are certain about something.

!
IMPOSSIBILITY

- A: There’s someone at the door. I think it’s Pasquale.

- B: It can’t be Pasquale. He’s in Australia.

- Mrs Brown doesn’t have a job. She can’t have much money.

!
We use CAN’T to indicate impossibility.

!
POSSIBILITY

- She may/might/could be in the garden.

- My sister might come tomorrow.

!
We use may/might/could when something is possible (but not certain) NOW or in the
FUTURE.

The negative form is MAY NOT or MIGHT NOT.

- I might not finish the project in time.

EXERCISES
A: Complete the phrases with MUST or CAN’T using the verbs in the box.

be belong speak come spend have like live want remember

0 Anna lived in America for three years, so she must speak English.

0 Tom’s brother doesn’t know anything about medicine, so he can’t be a doctor.

1 Jane has lots of CDs. She ……………………………………………… music a lot.

2 Peter doesn’t speak German, so he……………………………………………from Germany.

3 This jacket……………………………………..to Janet because it’s too big for her.

4 That man………………………………………….around here because he doesn’t know any of

the street names.

5 Jack………………………………..a lot of clothes. He wears something different every

day.

6 Sam’s grandma is over eighty years old, so she………………………………………………..the

Second World War.

7 You’ve got ten cats already. You………………………………………………………………..another one.

8 Susan buys new clothes all the time. She………………………………………….a lot of money.

 Modal auxiliary verbs

!
!
B: Complete the conversations with MUST, CAN’T or MIGHT with one of the
expressions in the box.

cost a lot of money go to Portugal earn £60,000 a year

be a soldier come this weekend also be at the shops
work long hours take much interest be at the gym

!
0 RUTH: I think Ann’s brother is in the army.

JAMES: He can’t be a soldier - he’s only 15.

!
1 BOB: What are you going to do next summer?

SUSAN: I don’t know. We…………………………………………………., but it’s not certain yet.

!
2 FRED: Mike’s new flat is all electric - cooker, heating, everything.

PETER: That…………………………………………………………………………….in electricity bills.

!
3 SAM: Is Mary coming to see us this week?

SALLY: It depends on her work. She…………………………………………………………………if she

finishes that project she’s doing.

!
4 CAROL: Have Brian and Kim got any children?

TOM: Yes, they’ve got two children, but they………………………………………………………………in

them, because they never talk about them.

!
5 ANDREW: Do you see your new neighbours much?

SARAH: No, they…………………………………………………………………….., because they’re hardly

ever at home.

!
6 PAUL: Fred’s gone out, hasn’t he? Where’s he gone?

ANN: I don’t know. He…………………………………………………or he………………………………………………

!
7 TIM: Is Jane very rich?

EMMA: Oh yes, she…………………………………………………………………………..at least.

!
!
!
!
 Modal auxiliary verbs
!
Should, ought to, had better
!
SHOULD & OUGHT TO

• Should & ought to are used to ask/give advice and to say what is the best action to
take.

A: I’ve got toothache. What should I do?

B: You should go to the dentist’s.

!
• Ought to is usually used when talking about the best thing to do when a law/(moral)
obligation is involved…

A: I saw a robbery. What should I do?

B: You ought to report it to the police.

!
…whereas should expresses more of a personal opinion.

A: I saw a robbery. What should I do?

B: I think you should forget about it.

!
• With NEGATIVE PHRASES & QUESTIONS should is used more often (ought to is
very formal).

I shouldn’t go. Should I go?

!
!
!
HAD BETTER

• We can also use had better to give advice and say what is the best action to take.
It has a stronger/more urgent feeling than should/ought to.

!
There’ll be a lot of traffic tomorrow going to Rome. We’d better leave early.

I’d better ask the doctor about the pain in my stomach.

!
• nb. had better is used to speak about a particular person/situation. If the advice
is general we use should/ought to.

When people are in trouble, they should go to the police (NOT…they had better go to
the police).

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
 Modal auxiliary verbs
!
!
EXERCISES
!
!
A: COMPLETE THE PHRASES WITH THE VERBS IN THE BOX BELOW.

start! ! tell! ! have! ! listen! ! try! wait

!
0 They ought to tell the manager about this problem.

1 Should we……………………………..to phone them again?

2 They had better…………………………….the work at once.

3 We shouldn’t………………………………….to what they say.

4 It’s a bit windy. We’d better………………………………….lunch here in the house, not

outside in the garden.

5 We ought………………………………………..until the police arrive.

!
B: USE THE WORDS IN BRACKETS TO COMPLETE THE ANSWERS IN THE
FOLLOWING CONVERSATIONS.

!
0 A: I’ve got a headache.

B: (You/go and lie down) You’d better go and lie down.

!
1 A: The children want to play in the kitchen.

B: (Well, they/clear everything away when they finish)

Well,…………………………………………………………………………….when they finish.

2 A: I think it’s going to rain.

B: (Yes, we/take our umbrellas) Yes,………………………………………………………………………………..

3 A: I’m going to bed now. We have to get up very early tomorrow.

B: (Yes, I/go to bed early too) Yes,…………………………………………………………………………………