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Modal Verbs
PATTERNS FOR MODES
GROUP I. MODAL AUXILIARIES
I will (would) go.
I can (could) come.
He may (might) agree with you.
I shall (should) do it
We had better leave now.
They must leave immediately.
But: He ought to do it.
GROUP II. OTHER AUXILIARIES EXPRESSING MODES
He has (had) to do it.
The class is (was) to have an examination tomorrow.
We are (were) going to tell you about it.
My friends are (were) about to leave for the U.S.A.
The secretary gets (got) to award the prize.
Will + V
A. FUTURE TIME
The English language has no inflectional form for the future tense as it does for the
simple past. The use of will or shall is a common way of expressing the future.a Will also
suggests willingness, or a promise or an agreement with another person‟s wishes, in
addition to implying futurity.
We will meet you on the corner in twenty minutes.
The workmen will come tomorrow to repair the roof.
My secretary will call you tomorrow.
I will let you know as soon as the work is finished.
B. REQUESTS
Will is used in making polite requests.
Will you please take this package to the post office for me?
Will you please be seated?
C. QUESTIONS ABOUT FUTURE MATTERS
These questions do not concern advisability or make requests.
Will we have many examinations in this course?
Will the meeting of the council take place tomorrow?
a
The future is also expressed by other auxiliaries like am about to or am going to
(as explained later in this lesson), or by the present tense with an adverbial element
denoting future time, (I go to New York tomorrow) or by other models with an adverbial
element denoting future time (I can go next week).

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Would + V
A. WILLINGNESS
The use of would is here similar to will.
I would (will) be glad to help you.

B. DESIRES
Would is used with like to express desire.
I would like a cup of coffee.
I would like to speak to you today about my. country.

C. CONDITIONAL OR HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS

Would is most commonly used to express desires or willingness in hypothetical
situations.
I would do it if I knew how.
If you would do it for me. I would be very grateful.

D. HABITUAL ACTION IN THE PAST

When I was a child I would often walk in the country.

E. PAST TENSE OF WILL

Would is used as the past tense of will in reported speech.
He says he will go. (present)
He said he would go. (past)

F. POLITE REQUESTS
This use of would is similar to that of will.
Would you mind opening the door for me?

Can + V

A. ABILITY
Can expresses the ability to do something in the immediate present or in the future.
In this sense it is equivalent of to be able to.
I can speak five languages. (present)
I can help you next week. (future)

B. PERMISSION
Can is used in statements implying permission as well as ability. Can in questions
asking permission is colloquial.
My secretary can help you this afternoon.
Can (may) I go with you?

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Could + V
A. ABILITY
Could indicates ability to do something in the past. In this sense it is the past of
can. When I was six years old I could speak only one language; now I can speak five.

B. CONDITIONAL
Could expresses the ability to do something if other conditions are met. The past
tense is expressed by could have.
I could buy a new car if I had the money.
I could have asked him if I had seen him.

C. POSSIBILTY
The use of could to express a possibility is much like its use to express a
conditional situation.
I hear someone coming down the hall. It could be John.

D. PAST TENSE OF CAN

Could is the past tense of can in reported speech.
John says he can repair your typewriter. (present)
John said he could repair your typewriter. (past)

May + V
A. PERMISSION
May is used to express permission or to indicate that something is allowed. Present
or future time is indicated.
You may go now (You have permission to go immediately.)
You may leave when you have finished the examination.
(You have permission to leave at a future time.)
Your name may be placed in the right-hand corner of you paper.

B. QUESTIONS ASKING PERMISSION

May is commonly used in questions asking permission.
May I come in? (immediate action)
May I come tomorrow? (future action)

C. CONJECTURES
May sometimes indicates conjecture about the future. When used in this sense, the
past tense is indicated by may have.
It may rain tomorrow. (There is a strong possibility)
It may have rained while we were gone.
(The speaker is not sure whether it did or not.)

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Might + V
A. CONJECTURE
Might expressing conjecture is sometimes used interchangeably with may, or it
may have a stronger implication that the condition is hypothetical or contrary to fact. The
past tense is expressed by might have. (Compare with the use of may, above.)
It might rain tomorrow.
It might have rained while we were gone.
I might build a new house if I had the money.
(The situation is hypothetical or contrary to fact.)

B. PAST TENSE OF MAY

Might is used as the past tense of may in reported speech.
John says that I may go with him. (present)
John said that I might go with him. (past)

Shall + V
A QUESTIONS OF ADVISABILITY IN THE FIRST PERSON
This is the main use of shall. Shall refers to the future.
Shall I close the window?
Shall we go to the play on Thursday night?

B. FUTURE TENSE
Shall is sometimes used in the first person to express the future tense. The use of
will is more common.
We shall know the answer to this problem tomorrow.

Should + V
A. OBLIGATION
Should indicates obligation in regard to a general truth or to a specific act. It
generally indicates an obligation which is recognized but which is not necessarily being
fulfilled. In this sense it has a meaning close to that of ought to. Unfulfilled obligation in
the past is expressed by should have.
We should be courteous to our parents. (Obligation; a general truth)
I should mail this letter. (Obligation in regard to a specific act.)
I should study tonight, but I am going to the movies.
(Obligation recognized but unfulfilled.)
You should have answered the letters today.

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B. ADVISABILITY
Should represents advisability as well as obligation.
You should leave at three-thirty if you want to take the four o‟clock train.

C. POSSIBILITY
Should may also indicate a strong possibility that probably will be fulfilled.
I should get a letter from my insurance company today.
D. QUESTIONS OF ADVISABILITY IN THE FIRST PERSON
The use of should here is similar to that of shall. Should implies more of a sense of
advisability than shall.
Should we close the windows before we leave?

Must + V

A. NECESSITY
This is the most common use of must.
People must eat in order to live.
Doctors must be concerned for their patients.
I must take the books back to the library; they are overdue.
Must expressing necessity has no past tense. Necessity in past time is expressed by had to

B. INFERENCE
Must indicates inference only with certain verbs: the verb have; linking verbs like
seem, appear, and be; verbs expressing desire like want, need, and believe; and certain
verbs expressing physical activity such as walk, run, drive, and so forth.
There must be a lot of stamps in that drawer; I remember putting them there.
Mr. Briggs must have an early class at the university; I see him leaving the house
every day at seven-thirty.
He must take the bus to work; I see him pass this corner every morning. Inference
in the past may be expressed by must have.
It must have rained here yesterday, there is a lot of water on the ground. John must
have won the prize. He looks very pleased.

Ought To + V
Ought to + V has mush the same meaning as should, but note the contrast in form.
I should go downtown this afternoon.
I ought to go downtown this afternoon.
We should finish this today.
We ought to finish this today. (We expect to finish it or we have an obligation to
finish it.)

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Have To + V
Have to + V expresses necessity in much the same way that must + V does. Have
to and must can be used interchangeably. However, note the contrast in form.
I must leave now. I have to leave now.
You must pay your fees today. You have to pay your fees today.
Necessity in the past time is expressed by had to.
I had to leave then.
We had to pay our fees yesterday.
However, different meanings are expressed by must not and do not have to.
Compare these two sentences:
You must not drive eighty miles an hour, it is against the law. (It is necessary that
you not do it.)
You do not have to drive so fast. We have plenty of time to get there. (It is not
necessary that you do it)

Am To + V. Am Going To + V. Am About To 1- V
Am to, am going to, and am about to are all ways of expressing the future. Note the
differences in meaning signaled by these expressions.
I am going to visit my sister next week. (At some indefinite time, perhaps next
week.)
I am about to leave. (Within the next few minutes.)
I am to give a talk for her club while I am there. (The members of the club expect
me to do it. They have asked me to do it. I plan to do it)
Albert was to have gone with me, but he can‟t leave his business. (He expected to
go. He planned to go.)
He was going to take me in his car, but now I am going to take the train. (He
planned In the past to do it in the future.)

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VERBALS AS MODIFIERS

A. V-ing FORMS AS MODIFIERS

The crying child went home. (modifier of the noun)
The child crying for his mother could not be consoled. (modifier of the noun)
The children came running when we called. (modifier of the verb)
Considering the gravity of the situation, we must act now. (modifier of the sentence)
B. V-ed FORMS AS MODIFIERS
The waiter brought us covered dishes. (modifier of the noun)
They lived in a house covered with vines. (modifier of the noun)
Our work finished, we went home. (modifier of the sentence)

C. INFINITWES AS MODIFIERS
I have a good book to read. (modifier of the noun)
This is easy to do. (qualifier of the adjective)
He went to New York to see a play. (modifier of the verb)
To tell the truth. I don‟t know. (modifier of the sentence)

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MODAL VERBS
EXERCISE A
Choose the correct answer in each blank.
1. ................................. (Could, May) you tell me the time, please?
2. Who is outside? It ................................. (can‟t, won‟t) be the postman - he has already
been here.

3. What kind of food ................................. (should, would) you like tonight?

4. ................................. (Would, Do) you like another cup of coffee?

5. You ................................. (mustn‟t, don‟t have to) come with us if you don‟t want to.
6. You ................................. (mustn‟t, don‟t have to) leave the building without asking
permission first.
7. Ask Jane: she ................................. (might, could) be able to help you.

8. He ................................. (can, may) play very well when he wants to.

9. I ................................. (may not, cannot) be able to come round tonight.
10. ................................. (Would, Could) I have more sugar, please?
11. Shall I ................................. (open, to open) the window for you
12. Hadn‟t we ................................. (better to hurry, better hurry) ?
13. I would rather ................................. (not do that, not to do that) if I were given a
chance.
14. Tomorrow ................................. (may be, will be) Sunday.

15. Many roads are flooded. It ................................. (must have rained, should have
rained) hard last night.
16. The boy daren‟t ................................. (challenge, to challenge) his teacher.
17. Jack doesn‟t dare ................................. (leave, to leave) his car outside the house.
18. Students ................................. (ought to obey, ought obey) school regulations.
19. I would rather fail than ................................. (cheats, cheat) in the examination.
20. You‟d better ................................. (not do that, not to do that) if you don‟t want to be
punished.

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