INTERNATIONAL INDIAN SCHOOL, JEDDAH

Subject: English

Topic: Modals
Name of the Student: ___________________ Class & Division :
Modal verbs (can, could, must, should, ought to, may, might, will, would, shall) are modal
auxiliary verbs that express ability, necessity, obligation, duty, request, permission, advice,
desire, probability, possibility, etc. Modal verbs express the speaker's attitude to the action
indicated by the main verb.
Examples:
1. She can swim. (ability)
2. They must attend the meeting. (strong necessity)
3. You should do regular exercise. (advice)
4. Could you help me with this assignment, please? (request)
5. The guests may stay here. (permission)
6. He would like to see her. (desire)
7. The manager might leave soon. (possibility)
8. My brother must be at playground now. (strong probability)

Modal verbs are special verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs. Here are some
important differences: 1. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.
Examples:
Julie can speak French.
The team should be here by 6 am tomorrow.
2. You use "not" to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past.
Examples:
 We should not eat junk food.
She might not come to college.
3. Many modal verbs cannot be used in past or future tenses.
Examples:
She will can run fast. Not Correct
Naresh musted study very hard. Not Correct
Common Modal Verbs:
Can
Could
May
Might
Must/Ought to
Shall
Should
Will
Would

Modal verbs as Synonyms

The modal verbs SHOULD and OUGHT TO are close synonyms; WILL and WOULD are
synonyms in some types of polite requests. It is sometimes difficult for language learners to
choose among synonymous modal verbs. Always choose a more general synonym out of a
group of synonyms or a synonym with a more straightforward meaning.

For example, MAY, MIGHT, COULD are synonyms in the meaning "possibility". MAY has
two other meanings; COULD has four other meanings, two of which are rather difficult to
distinguish from "possibility" without a clear context. Only MIGHT has just one meaning:
possibility. The choice should be obvious – use MIGHT or MAY for "possibility".

Modal verbs as phrasal modals

Examples: be able to, be going to, be supposed to, have to, have got to, ought to, used to.
With these phrasal modals, the simple form of a verb follows to:
She's able to help us.
They are going to help us.
We are supposed to help them.

Modals express the mode of action. The most common modals are: may, might, can, could,
shall, should, will, would, must, dare, need, have and used to.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MODALS

1. Modals are never used alone. A Principal verb is either present or implied; as— I
can sing. He will help you.
2. Modals do not change according to the number or person of the subject; as— I
can. We can. You can. We can. They can. etc.
I may. We may. You may. He may. They may. etc.
3. Modals have no Infinitive, Present Participle or Past Participle forms.
4. Modals cannot be used in all the tenses. When a modal does not fall in this
pattern, it works as a Principal Verb; as— God willed so.

He needs a pen.
She dared to go into the dark forest.
(Here will, need, and dare are used as main verbs)

Relationship of Modals with Tenses

(i) May, can, shall, and will are in present forms while might, could, should, and would are
their past forms.
The two forms express different meanings, but usually, no difference of time, e.g. the difference
between may and might is often that of the degree of probability, as—
She may come today. (possibility / likely to happen)
She might come today. (remote possibility/less likely)
(ii) However, if the verb in the main clause is in the past tense, the forms might, could,
should and would serve as regular past tenses; as—

1. He said, “I can help you.” He said that he could help

her.
2. You said, “She will come back soon.” You said that
she would come back soon.
 3. Sheetal said, “May I use this pen, madam?” Sheetal
asked her teacher if she might use that pen.

(iii) When we want to express the past time in verb phrases involving modals, we use the
Present Perfect Tense of the Principal Verb; as She must have reached home by now.
You ought to have told me all the facts.

General Functions of Modals

1. Modals express probability, logical necessity,

possibility, future confirmation etc. These are not
conceptions of the mind. Modals are not used to state
facts.
2. Modals are used in the main clause of conditional
sentences. Since the condition is contrary to facts, the
main statement cannot be actual. Hence a modal is
used; as— If I were you, I should help the old beggar.
If it were fine, we might play a cricket match. If
you had told me, I could have helped you.

Apart from these general functions, modals are used in various ways. Let
us consider them separately.

USE OF MODALS

CAN/COULD

Can is used for all persons in the present tense.

Could is used for all persons in the past tense.
CAN is used
1. to express permission:
You can go now. (= I give you permission to go)
You cannot touch the flowers. (= I don’t permit you to touch the flowers)
2. to express ability:
I can swim. (= I know how to swim)
 He can speak Sanskrit. (= He is able to speak Sanskrit)
3. to express possibility:
Anyone can make mistakes.
Accidents can happen to anyone.
4. ‘Can’t help’ is an idiom. It means ‘Can’t avoid’; e.g. He has a bad cold. He can’t
help sneezing.
The boys can’t help laughing on seeing the clown.
COULD must be used
to express ability, permission and possibility when the main verb is in the past tense;
as— I could swim well when I was younger. (ability) Could you lend me some money,
please?
Could you tell me the time, please?
Could you wait for a few minutes?

MAY/MIGHT

‘May’ is used for all persons of the present and future tense. ‘May’ is
used

1. to express or to seek permission: [in a formal way]

You may go (= I permit you to go.)
May I come in, Sir? (= seeking permission)
Students may not bring any book or paper in the examination hall. (permission refused)
2. to express possibility:
It may rain. He may come today.
3. to express a wish:
May he live long! May she enjoy good health!
4. to express purpose:
He works hard so that he may pass.

MIGHT

Might is used for all persons of the past tense.

 (i) to seek permission:
‘Might I’ can be used instead of ‘May I’ when asking for permission and ‘Might I’ is a more
polite form. The use of ‘might’ shows that the speaker is rather hesitant or doubtful about
making the request; as—

(i) May I use your phone?

(ii) Might I use your phone?

Both express the same idea, but the second sentence is more polite.

(ii) to express possibility:

‘Might’ expresses greater doubt than ‘may’.
‘Might’ suggests remote/distant possibility; as—

It might rain. He might come today.

(iii) to put forward a suggestion:

‘Might’ is often used to put forward a suggestion or offer advice which you are a little hesitant
about; as—

You might try again. (= But I am not certain if you should) You
might wait.

(iv) in conditional sentences:

‘May / Might ’ can be used instead of ‘shall / will’ and ‘should / would’ in the conditional
sentences respectively to express a possible result; as—

If you work hard, you may pass, (possibility)

If she had left early, she might have reached by now.

Might must be used when the main verb of the sentence is in the past tense.
(i) to express permission:
He said that I might borrow his car.
The teacher said that the boy might go.
(ii) to express possibility:
He thought that I might like it.
Sudha said that she might go abroad next year.
(iii) to express speculation (guess) about past actions. ‘Might have’ is used for past time.
He told me that she might have finished her work. This
medicine might have cured your cough.
Both ‘May’ and ‘might’ are used to suggest ‘there is a good reason’-, as— You
may as well say so.
She might as well come by the next train.
EXERCISE 1
Fill in the blanks with ‘can’ or ‘could’:

1. you prepare a cup of tea for me, please?

2. She................................... not help to laugh at the joker.
3.We .................................. execute your plan at once.
4. He said that he .................................. walk twenty kms at a stretch.
5. A lame person................................... not walk.
6. you lift this box for me?
7. She .................................. read without glasses till last year.
8. You ................................... not see the principal now.
9. He worked hard but ................................... not pass the examination.
10. She ..................................... play the piano when she was only eleven.

EXERCISE 2

Fill in the blanks with May’ or “Might’:

1. The news .................................. not be true.

2. With a little more effort, we ................................. win this time.
3. The examinations .................................. be postponed.
4. We .................................. have gone if they had invited us to dinner.
5. With a little push, he .................................. have got the job.
6. ……. your future be bright!
7. You .................................. not attend the meeting this evening.
8. He said that it ...................................not rain.
9. She asked if she .................................. see the director.
10. The sky is overcast. It ................................. rain at any time.
 EXERCISE 3

Fill in the blanks with ‘can’, ‘could’, ‘may’ or ‘might’ appropriate to the sense given in
brackets:

1. He ……………………. do this if he tried. (possibility)

2. She ……………………. not run as fast as you. (ability)
3. He .................................. enter college next year. (possibility)
4. I knew that I ..................................borrow his car. (ability)
5. You ……………………. tell me what he said. (claim)
6. You ……………………. tell me what he said. (ability)
7. I................................... help him if he asked me to. (wish)
8. He works hard so that he ......................................... get good marks. (purpose)
9. When I was young, I .................................. write Hindi verse. (capacity)
10. Had you worked hard, you ……………………. have won a scholarship (possibility)

EXERCISE 4
Use shall or will in the blanks in the following sentences:

1. He .......................... leave this office at once. It is final.

2. I........................... file a case of defamation against the paper.
3. We .......................... not allow this type of misrule to continue.
4. All traitors .......................... die.
5. How long .......................... you stay at Manali?
6. you attend her farewell party?
7. we be invited to her mango party?
8. She .......................... just sit and brood over her past life.
9. We .......................... not visit the Trade Fair tomorrow.
10. we refresh ourselves with some coffee now?

EXERCISE 5

Fill in the blanks with ‘shall’ or ‘will’ whichever is appropriate:

1. You ………………. not steal. (command)

2. We ……………….be very glad to see you. (simple future)
 3. My son ……………….be twelve next month. (natural occurrence)
4. ………………. you do it or shall I? (enquiry)
5. All right! You ………………. have what you want. (promise)
6. I ………………. meet you again if you so desire. (determination)
7. I ………………. meet you again next week, I expect. (simple future)
8. You ………………. stay till you have finished your work. (threat)
9. You ........................... not prevent me from saying what I want, (simple future)
10. If you carry the chairs I ………………. carry the table. (willingness)

EXERCISE 6

Fill in the blanks with ‘would’ or

‘should’:

1. You .......................................... work hard to win a scholarship.

2. He ......................................... rather starve than beg.
3. you post this letter?
4. They ......................................... arrive here at any moment.
5. If I were a judge, I ......................................... do fair justice.
6. I.......................................... like you to help him with his studies.
7. We ......................................... help the poor and the needy.
8. she walks fast, she will catch the train.
9. you like to listen to music?
10. I wish he ......................................... not fail this time.

EXERCISE 7
Identify the error and supply the correction in the given format.

1. One could repay all their debts.

Error Correction

2. Shall you have hot chocolate?

 Error Correction

3 . The child should be taken to hospital immediately

Error Correction

4. We may take care of our parents

Error Correction

EXERCISE 8

Fill in the blanks using suitable modals

“How long (a) ……………….. or (b) ……………….. a person wait on a hungry stomach?”
This thought constantly (c) ……………….. come to an impoverished man who (d)
……………….. wait till his unemployment days are over, “(e) ……………….. I never get two
full meals?” occupies his thought box. He (f) ……………….. not even get a chance ever to
come out of this vicious circle of poverty.