ENGLISH MODAL

VERBS
Speak better English
B2 GRAMMAR
Course contents
What are modal verbs

Modals of probability

Modals of ability

Modals of obligation and advice

Modals of permission

Modals of habit

Past Modals
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 WHAT ARE
MODALS?
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
 1: They don't use an 's' for the third
They are person singular.

different 2: They make questions by inversion

('she can go' becomes 'can she

from other
go?').

3: They are followed directly by the

verbs: infinitive of another verb (without
'to').
 can
could

English may
might
will

Modal would
must

verbs
should
ought to
 We use modals to show if we
believe something is certain,
possible or impossible.

We use We also use them to do things like

talk about ability, ask permission,

them to: and make requests and offers as

well as talk about our habits
 MODALS OF
PROBABILITY
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
How we We can use these modal verbs
(also called modals of
deduction, speculation or

use certainty) when we want to

make a guess about something.

them We choose the verb depending

on how sure we are.
Talking about
the present
We can
must
might
could

use the may

can't

modal (+ infinitive without to)

verbs
 We use must to express a very
high probability.

We use it to talk about

Must
something we are almost
certain about.

"She must be at work, that's

why she isn't answering her
phone
 We use can't to express a very
low probability, an
impossibility in fact

Can't
We use it to talk about
something we are almost
certain is impossible.

"She can't be at work, it's

Saturday"
Might/Could
/May
 She might be stuck in
Situation: traffic (maybe)
She may be stuck in traffic
You are waiting for
(maybe)
your friend Emma, She must be stuck in traffic
and your sister calls (fairly certain)
you and says "Hey it's She could be stuck in
late, where is Emma? traffic (maybe)
She can't be stuck in traffic
You are not sure and
(impossible)
guess by saying:
 We can
Will
also use Should

the modal (+ infinitive without to)

verbs
 We use will /won't when

Will/
we are very sure about
the probability of a
situation.

Won't She will be at work now

She won't be at work
not
 Should and shouldn't are used to
make an assumption about what is
probably true, if everything is as we
expect:

Should "She should be here by now"

"She should't take long to arrive"

Note- we use should in this way just

for positive events, for negative
events we use will
"The roads will be really busy now"
(not should be)
 Situation:
Taking the train should be
You are talking to
easier as we can avoid the
your friend trying to traffic
decide the best way At 5pm the roads will be
to arrive to the city. packed so it's better to
You can say: take the train
 We can
We can also use the
also use modal verb can in the
present to express a
the modal possibility

verb can
 We use can to talk about
something that is generally
possible

Can
"The weather can be quite hot in
summer"

We do not use can to talk about

specific possibilities. In this case we
use could.

"He could be at work" (not can be)

 I tried calling her many times but she
didn't answer, so I think she may still
be in the office. She should pick up as
soon as she leaves because generally

Example
once her shift is over she can turn her
phone back on. I don't think she will
drive home straight away as there is a
lot of traffic so she might stop at a bar
for a drink with her work mates. We
could catch up with her later on.
 Exercise _____________________
_____________________
_____________________

one: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal ________

verb we just learnt

 1) Why is that man looking around like that? He
_____________ be lost.

2) That woman _____________ be a

doctor! She looks far too young.

Exercise 2 3) John always fails the tests, even though he’s

clever. He _____________ study enough.

Fill in the 4) The food is really good at that restaurant.

They _____________ have a great chef.

blanks with 5) Who’s that at the door? It

_____________ be Susie – she’ll still be at

can or must work now.

 1. Why is that man looking around like
that? He must be lost.
2. That woman can’t be a doctor! She
looks far too young.
3. John always fails the tests, even

Exercise 2 though he’s clever. He can’t study

enough.
4. The food is really good at that

Answers restaurant. They must have a great

chef.
5. Who’s that at the door? It can’t be
Susie – she’ll still be at work now.
Talking about
the past
 We can use these modal verbs of
probability in the past by using them

Must/ Might / with have and the past participle.

For example:
Could /May / Must have + past participle
Might/might not have + past

can't in the participle

Could / Coulnd't have + past

past
participle
May / May not have + past participle
Can't have + past participle
 She must have left her phone at
work
She might have forgotten about

Examples our meeting

She couldn't have made a
mistake
She could have made a mistake
They may have missed the train
She can't have left the window
open
MODAL VERBS
OF ABILITY
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
 When we talk about ability, we mean two
things.

First, we mean general ability. This is something

We use
that once you have learned you can do any
time you want, like being able to read or swim
or speak a language, for example.

them to:
The other kind of ability is specific ability. This
meanS something that you can or can't do in
one particular situation. For example, being
able to lift something heavy, or find somewhere
you are looking for.
Talking about
the present
 I can play the piano
I can't play the piano
Can / She can speak English
She can't speak English

can't He can't drive now- he is

too tried (specific)
I can drive, I just had a
specific abilities coffee (specific)
Talking about
the past
 I could swim when I was 10

Could/ I couldn't swim when I was

10
I could read when I was
Couldn't four
I couldn't read when I was
General abilities four
Was able When i go lost yesterday I was
able to find my way (not

to could)
I was able to install the new
software

Couldn't I couldn't find my keys

yesterday

Specific abilities He called because he couldn't

find the document
Could have I could have become a great

+ past
singer but I didn't practice
enough
We could have prepared more
participle food
She could have moved to
An ability someone had Australia but she preferred
in the past but didn't Europe
use
Talking about
the future
Will /Won't By the end of this course you
will be able to use modal

be able to verbs like a pro!

I won't be able to learn
everything in a month
General ability
Can't / I can teach you tomorrow, it's
no issue

Can
I can't take you to the city, my
car has broken down

Specific ability
 Exercise
_____________________

one: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________
_____________________
verb we just learnt ________

for the present

 Exercise
_____________________

two: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________
_____________________
verb we just learnt ________

for the past

 Exercise
_____________________

three: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________
_____________________
verb we just learnt ________

for the future

 1 )_________________ you swim when you

Exercise
were 10?

2) We _________________ get to the

meeting on time yesterday because the train was

four:
delayed by one hour.

3) He _________________ arrive at the

party on time, even after missing the train, so he

Fill in the blacks

was very pleased.

4) He’s amazing, he _________________

with can, could, speak 5 languages including Chinese.

can't, couldn't or be 5) I _________________ drive a car until I

was 34, then I moved to the countryside so I had to

able to learn.
 1. Could you swim when you were
10?
2. We couldn’t get to the meeting

Exercise
on time yesterday because the
train was
3. delayed by one hour.

four:
4. He was able to arrive at the
party on time, even after missing
the train, so he
Answers 5. was very pleased.
 MODAL VERBS
OF OBLIGATION
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
 We use modal verbs of
obligation to express something
that has to be done.

We use To do this we can use the modal

verbs:

them to: Have to

Must
Should
Talking about
the present
 Positive sentence:

Have to expresses a strong obligation

possibly from outside situations.

Have to / "Children have to go to school"

Don't
Negative sentences:

Don't have to expresses no obligation

have to "You don't have to go to school on

Saturdays"
 Positive sentence:

We use must to express a strong

obligation, possibility based on the

Must /
speakers opinion

"I must go to bed early tonight"

Mustn't Negative sentences:

We use mustn't to express a negative

obligation like a law or rule

"You mustn't litter"

 Positive sentence:

We use should to express a mild

obligation or advice

Should / "You should wake up early"

Shouldn't
Negative sentences:

We use shouldn't to express a mild

negative obligation or advice

"You shouldn't eat so much sugar "

 Positive sentence:

We use ought to to express a mild

obligation or advice and it can be used
interchangeably with should

ought to
"You ought to wake up early"
"You should wake up early"

*Note- we don't use outght to in the

negative form
 Mustn't means something is a rule
and is refered to an action that is not
allowed:

Musn't VS "You musn't dirnk and drive"

Don't Don't have to means you don't have

to do something however if you do, it
is ok:

have to ""You don't have to do the dishes

today, I can do them if you want"
Talking about
the past
 Positive sentence:
We use this with a past obligation

"I had to wake up early yesterday for work"

Had to / Negative sentences:

We use this to express no obligation about

Didn't
the past

"They didn't have to come into the office

yesterday "

have to Note- we do not use must in the past,

instead we use had to or didn't have to
 Positive sentence:
We use this to express regret about a past

Should have
action not taken

"I should have studied harder for the exam"

+ pp / Negative sentences:

Shouldn't We use this to express regret about a past

action taken that wasn't a good idea.

have + pp "They shouldn't have gone out all night, now

they are so tired!"
 Exercise
_____________________

one: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________
_____________________
verb we just learnt ________

for the present

 Exercise _____________________

two:
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________

verb we just learnt ________

for the past

 41) We have a lot of work tomorrow.
You _______________ be late.

Exercise 2) You _______________ tell

anyone what I just told you. It’s a secret.

three:
3) The museum is free. You
_______________ pay to get in.

Fill in the blanks with 4) Children _______________

tell lies. It’s very naughty.
mustn't or don't/
5)John’s a millionaire. He
doesn't have to _______________ go to work.
 1. We have a lot of work
tomorrow. You mustn’t be
late.
2. You mustn’t tell anyone what

Exercise I just told you. It’s a secret.

3. The museum is free. You
don’t have to pay to get in.

three: 4. Children mustn’t tell lies. It’s

very naughty.
5. John’s a millionaire. He
Answers
doesn’t have to go to work.
 MODAL VERBS
OF PERMISSION
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
 We use modal verbs of
permission to ask for and give
permission, also to say

We use something is not allowed

To do this we can use the modal

them to: verbs:

Can
Could
May
 We can use can to ask for
and give permission.

For example:

Can "Can I take the book?"

"You can use my pen if you
like"
"Can I make a suggestion"
 We use could to ask for
permission but not give it. Could
is more formal and polite than
can

Could For example:

"Could you help me?"

"Could I interrupt?"
"Could i borrow your computer
please?"
 We can use may to ask for and
give permission. It is the msot
formal way to do so

May
For example:

"May I see your id please?"

"You may apply for a refund within
30days"
"You may leave the class when
you please"
 Exercise
_____________________

one: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________
_____________________
verb we just learnt ________
MODAL VERBS
OF HABIT
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
 We use modal verbs of habit to
to talk about habits or things we
usually do or did in the past
We use To do this we can use the modal

them to:
verbs:
Would
Will
 We use will to emphasise the
characteristics of a person
rather that describing the actual

Will
person.

For example:
"She will always be late"
"A friend will always be there for
you"
 We use would to talk about a
repeated past action however
not a state of being

Would For example:

"She would always call her
parents on the weekend"
"I would go running every day
when I was in high school"
 Exercise
_____________________

one: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________
_____________________
verb we just learnt ________
PAST MODAL
VERBS
SPEAK BETTER ENGLISH
B2 GRAMMAR
 We use past modal verbs
We use hypothetically to talk about
things that didn't really happen

them to:
in the past
 We use this modal construction to

Could have talk about something that was

possible in the past, or that you

+ past
had the ability to do in the past but
didn't do it.

participle
 I could have worked yesterday,
but I decided to rest

Examples
They could have got married,
but they decided to buy a
house first
Sara could have bought a new
phone but she used her
mothers instead
She could have studied harder,
but she was too lazy
 Couldn't We use this modal construction to
talk about something that wasn't

have + past possible in the past even if you

wanted to do it

participle
 I couldn't have done better, I
studied my best and the exam

Examples
was just too hard
I couldn't have got accepted
even if I wanted because they
closed their submission before I
applied
 We use this modal construction to
talk about something that, if
everything is normal and okay, we
Should have think has already happened. But
we're not certain that everything is

+ past fine, so we use 'should have' and

not the present perfect or past
simple. It's often used with 'by now'.
participle
Examples She should have arrived by now
They should have finished the
work by now
She should have completed this
task by now
Should have We can also use this to talk about
something that would have

+ past happened if everything was fine,

but hasn't happened.

participle
Examples The train should have arrived
by now but it is late
She should have prepared the
report by now but it's still not
done
Would have We can use this modal
construction when we are

+ past using the third conditional

participle
Examples If I had bought enough food I
would have been able to cook
dinner for everyone
 We can use this modal
construction to talk about
something you wanted to do
Would have but didn't. This is very simmilar
to the third conditional
+ past however we do not need to
add and "if" clause
participle
Examples
I would have gone to the
movies but I was really
tired
I would have helped you
but I got held up at work
 Exercise
_____________________

one: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Write a sentence _____________________
_____________________
for each modal _____________________
_____________________
verb we just learnt ________

in the past
 1. I_____________________________
______ (buy) bread but I didn’t know we

Exercise
needed it. (past possibility)
2. We___________________________
________ (invite) so many people to our
party! I’m worried that we won’t have enough

two:
room for everyone. (past negative advice /
regret)
3. I_____________________________
______ (start) saving money years ago!
(past advice/ regret)
Fill in the blanks 4. We___________________________
________ (join) you at the restaurant, but

with could have, we couldn’t get a babysitter. (past willingness)

5. The

should have or
weather________________________
___________ (be) any worse! (past
negative possibility)
would have
 1. Icould have bought bread but I didn’t
know we needed it. (past possibility)
2. We shouldn’t have invited so many
people to our party! I’m worried that we

Exercise
won’t have enough room for everyone.
(past negative advice / regret)
3. I shouldn’t have started saving money
years ago! (past advice / regret)

two:
4. We would have joined you at the
restaurant, but we couldn’t get a
babysitter. (past willingness)
5. The weather couldn’t have been any
Answers worse! (past negative possibility)
 1.John______________________________
_____ (call) Amy, but he didn’t have her number.

Exercise
(past willingness)

2.You______________________________
_____ (be) rude to him. He’s going to be really angry

two:
now. (past negative advice / regret)

3.She_______________________________
____ (come) to the restaurant if she’d left work earlier.
(past possibility)

Fill in the blanks 4.You_______________________________

____ (take) this job. I can see you’re not enjoying it.

with could have, (past negative advice / regret)

5.The race was really difficult. She

should have or __________________________________
_ (win) because she’s not fit enough. (past negative

would have
possibility)
 1. John would have called Amy, but he
didn’t have her number. (past
willingness)
2. You shouldn’t have been rude to him.

Exercise
He’s going to be really angry now. (past
negative advice / regret)
3. She could have come to the restaurant
if she’d left work earlier. (past

two:
possibility)
4. You shouldn’t have taken this job. I can
see you’re not enjoying it. (past
negative advice /regret)
Answers 5. The race was really difficult. She
couldn’t have won because she’s not fit
enough. (past negative possibility)
You're Done!
Thanks for participating in this course,
make sure you do the exercises and
enjoy speaking English!