MODAL VERBS

 What are modal verbs? 

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs which behave
irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like "work, play, visit..." They give additional
information about the function of the main verb that follows it.

Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:

 They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"... 
 They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (the bare infinitive.) 
 They are used to allow speakers to express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity,
ability

 Here is a list of modal verbs: can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought to.

 Use of modal verbs: Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:

 Permission 
 Ability
 Obligation
 Prohibition
 Advice
 Possibility
 Probability
 Duty

Modal Verbs

Modal USES Present / Future PAST

 ability / possibility 
I can learn modal verbs online.
informal I could jump high a few
permission  years ago but now I can't.
can / could You can use my car tomorrow. 
informal polite
Can I borrow your book?
request 
That can't have been true!
Cats can't swim.
impossibility
(negative only)

May I borrow your book? 

polite request 
You may leave the room. 
may  formal permission 
He may be at the school. He may have been at
50% certainty 
school.

less than 50% He might have been at

Might He might be at school.
certainty  school. 

strong necessity  I had to go to class

I must go to class today.
yesterday. 
You must not open that door.
must prohibition
Mary isn't in class.
Mary must have been sick
She must be sick.(present only)
95% certainty yesterday.

I ought to have studied last

advisability  I ought to study tonight.
night. 
ought to
She ought to have done
80% certainty She ought to be at school
well on the test. 

ask another
person's opinion Shall I invite them too? 
shall
(only used with I or Shall we dance?
we)

You should have paid your

advisability  I should study tonight 
bills. 
should
He should have done well
80% certainty He should be at school
on the test.

MODALS OF DEDUCTION
We can use modal verbs for deduction – guessing if something is true using the available information. The
modal verb we choose shows how certain we are about the possibility. This worksheet focuses on making
deductions about the present or future. Note that all modal verbs, are followed by an infinitive without to.

 must
We use must when we feel sure that something is true or it's the only realistic possibility.

This must be her house. I can see her car in the garage.
He must live near here because he always walks to work.
Come inside and get warm. You must be freezing out there!

 might, may, could
We use might, may or could to say that we think something is possible but we're not sure. 

She's not here yet. She might be stuck in traffic.

He's not answering. He could be in class.
We regret to inform you that some services may be delayed due to the bad weather.

They all have the same meaning, but may is more formal than might and could.

 can't
We use can't when we feel sure that something is not possible.

It can't be far now. We've been driving for hours.

She can't know about the complaint. She's promoted him to team leader.
It can't be easy for him, looking after three kids on his own.

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EXERCISES
1. Choose the correct option:

1. You (may/should)________________ leave if you wish.

2. (Might/May)________________ you open the window a bit, please?
3. (Shall/Can)________________ you play the violin?
4. You (may not/could not)________________ speak during the exam.
5. You (can't/ must not)________________ smoke on the bus.
6. (Should/May)________________ I make a call on your mobile?
7. Do you know if Mark (can/would)________________ come?
8. (Can't/May)________________ I sit here, please?
9. You can tell your friends they (can/could)________________ stay the night if they want to.
10. I'm sorry but you (can't/may)________________ use the computer now.
2. Fill in the gaps with the correct modal verb (must/ mustn’t/ may/ might/ can/ can’t
could/couldn’t/ should/ shouldn’t)
1.It's a hospital. You _______________ smoke.
2. He had been working for more than 11 hours. He ______________be tired after such hard work.
3. I _______________ speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Morocco. But when we moved
to Canada, I forgot almost everything. Now, I __________________ just say a few things in the language.
4. The teacher said we _____________ read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional.
5. _____________ you stand on your head for more than a minute? No, I _______________.
6. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you _____________work hard!
7. Take an umbrella. It ______________ rain later.
8. You __________________ leave small objects lying around. Such objects ______________ be swallowed
by children.
9. People __________________ walk on grass. It’s forbidden!
10. Drivers __________________ stop when the traffic lights are red.
11. _______________I ask a question? Yes, of course.
12. I’m not that good at Maths! So, I really _______________ study if I want to pass the exam.

3. Fill in the gaps with modals of deduction:

1. If Suzan said that, it ______________ true. She never lies!
2. I'm not sure I trust Peter. He _______________ not be the person we think he is.
3. The phone is ringing. It __________________ be Charlotte; she said she would call this morning.
4. She_________________ be in love with him She told me she hates him.
5. He _______________ be at the gym right now. Sometimes he goes there at this time.
6. This is not possible. You __________________ be serious!
7. If he drives a jaguar, he _________________ be quite rich.
8. You should pick up the phone. It _________________ be an important call.
9. He ____________ know the answer, he's the best in the class.
10. You _______________ be right, but it's better if we check.
11. He _________________ be in class. I saw him at the library a minute ago.
12. A: Who's at the door? B: I don't know; it __________________ be John.