MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS

 There are altogether 13 Modal Verbs: can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, dare,
ought to, need not, Used to.
 Characteristics of modal verbs:-
1. Modal Verbs are used as Helping Verbs only. They can’t be used as Main Verbs
 I can help you.
 Ram may come today.
2. They don’t have ‘-s/es, V1, V2, V3, or -ing forms’. Modal verbs are not affected by ‘Number’ or ‘Person
of the subject’. After Modal verb we always use first form of the Main Verb.
 They must follow the guidelines
 You can pass this exam.
 He may come anytime.
3. Modal verbs except ‘ought’ and ‘used’ do not take ‘to’ after it.
 Rakesh could to pass this examination. ( Incorrect)
 Rakesh could pass this examination.  ( Correct)
 Ramesh ought respect the rules.  ( Incorrect)
 Ramesh ought to respect the rules.  ( Correct)
4. ‘Dare, need and used to’ are also known as Semi Modal Auxiliary Verbs. Out of these three, ‘dare and
need’ can also be used as Main Verbs.
 I don’t dare to go home.
 He needs my help.
5. If ‘dare’ is used in the meaning of ‘to challenge’, then it is used as normal Ordinary Verbs.
 They dare me to swim across the river.
 He dares me to swim across the river.
 They don’t dare me to swim across the river.
 He doesn’t dare me to swim across the river.
6. If ‘dare’ is used in the meaning of ‘to have the courage’, then it is used in the following ways:-
 I dare to challenge him.( in affirmative sentence)
 He dares to slap her. ( in affirmative sentence)
 I daren’t challenge him. ( in negative sentence)
 He daren’t slap her. ( in negative sentence)
 He dare not face his parents. ( in negative sentence)
7. If ‘need’ is used in the meaning of ‘want’, then it is used an ordinary verb.
 I need a pen.
 You need a pen.
 He needs a pen.
 She doesn’t need a pen.
8. If ‘need’ is used in the meaning of ‘absence of obligation’, then we always use ‘needn’t’ with singular
as well as plural subject.
 I needn’t work hard.
 He needn’t work hard.
 They needn’t work hard.
 Use of modal verbs: Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:
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 1. Permission 5. Lack of necessity
2. Ability 6. Advice
3. Obligation 7. possibility
4. Prohibition
USES OF MODALS

CAN
1. Ability to do something in the present
 I can swim.
 I can speak Japanese.
 She can run five meters in 5 minutes.
2. Permission to do something(informal)
 Can I use your phone please?
 Can I go to the movie with my friends?
3. Making request(informal)
 Can you wait for me for a few minutes, please?
 Can you carry my bag for sometimes, please?
4. Offering something
 I can lend you my scooter till next week.
 I can give my book to you for a few days.
5. Making suggestion
 He can be a substitute in the team.
6. Possibility
 Smoking can cause cancer.
 The news can be false too.
COULD
1. Ability to do something in the past
 When I was younger I could run fast.
 As a kid, I could speak Japanese.
2. Permission to do something(Polite)
 Excuse me, could I just say something?
 Could I start my lesson, please?
3. Making request(Polite)
 Could you help me understand the procedure for online form filling?
 Could you tell me how to solve this sum?
4. Offering something(Polite)
 I could lend you money for your child’s education.
5. Making suggestion(Polite)
 He could be nominated for the Presidential elections.
6. Possibility
 It could rain tomorrow!
 It could be a bad idea to visit Rajasthan in March.

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 MAY

1. Permission to do something(formal)
 May I use your phone please?
 May I take that book?
2. Possibility
 It may rain tomorrow!
 It may be a holiday tomorrow.
3. Polite suggestion
 May I help you in your task?

MIGHT

1. Possibility ( less possible than may)

 I might go on holiday to Australia next year.
 He might accompany us on the Office tour.
2. Polite permission
 Might I suggest an idea?

MUST

1. Strong obligation
 You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
 You must finish your task on time.
 You must stop when the traffic lights are red.
2. Logical conclusion / Certainty
 He must be very tired. He's been working all day long.
 He must be exhausted after such a rigorous work out at the gym.
3. Strong advice/suggestion
 You must attend classes to score good marks in the examination.
 She must join a coaching centre to succeed in competitive exams.

MUST NOT
1. Prohibition
 You must not smoke in the hospital.
 You must not take anyone’s pen without permission.

SHOULD/OUGHT TO

1. Obligation
 I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache.
 One should/ ought to switch off lights before leaving the room.
 We should/ ought to grow more and more trees to save the world from destruction.
2. Advice
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  You should / ought to revise your lessons.
 You should/ought to take proper care of your health.
3. Logical conclusion
 He should / ought to be very tired. He's been working all day long.

NEED NOT
1. Lack of necessity/absence of obligation
 I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge.

Dare

1. Strong ability/boldness
 How dare you argue with me?

 NOTE:-Possibility: It may / can / could / might rain. It's cloudy.)

SHALL AND WILL

 Will is used with all persons: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
 Shall is used with the first person singular and plural: I, we
SHALL
 It should be noted that shall is often used to make suggestions, offers or ask for advice. It is used in questions as
follows:
 Shall we stay or go out?
 Shall we dance?
 Shall I get his phone number if I meet him?
 What shall I do to get rid of my acne?

 As said above, shall is used with first person singular and plural (I and we.) But there is a very special use of shall
with other persons to make a promise, command or threat as noted below:
 You shall not get in! (Command)
 You shall pay for it. (Threat)
 You shall get your money back soon. (Promise)

 In American English shall is mainly used in formal or legal documents:

 You shall abide by the law.

 There shall be no trespassing on this property.
 Students shall not enter this room.

USED TO + VERB
 PAST HABIT: ‘Used to' describes an old habit that stopped in the past. It shows that there was repetition in the
past but it probably doesn’t occur now.

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 My dad used to do Aikido.
 We used to go skiing every winter.
 I used to love sushi but I seem to have gone off it now.
 I used to go scuba diving.

 FACTS AND GENERALIZATIONS IN THE PAST: ‘Used to' can also describe past facts or generalizations that are
no longer true.
 Danny used to live in England.
 Most people in the south of the country used to be farmers.
 Fred used to have a stressful job.
 Tess used to be fat. Now she has a great figure.

NOTE: ‘USED TO’ VS ‘PAST SIMPLE’

 'Used to' and the Past Simple can both describe past habits, facts and generalizations
 But 'used to' is better especially when the repetition is the emphasis of the sentence.
 However with questions and negative sentences Past Simple is preferred.
 You used to do ballet. ( Affirmative sentence putting emphasis on repetition)
 Did you do ballet when you were young?(Interrogative Sentence)
 You did not do ballet when you were young.(Negative Sentence)

WOULD (ALWAYS/NEVER)
 Like 'used to' and the Past Simple, 'would always' suggests an old habit that stopped in the past.
 Unlike 'used to' or the Past Simple 'would always' suggests a willingness to do the action or amusement
and/or annoyance.
 The opposite is expressed with 'would never'.
 My grandmother would always get me a book for Christmas.
 Sarah would always come late to work on Mondays.
 Danny would not always come out with us.
 Alison would always end up in a relationship with the strangest men.
 We would not always go abroad for the summer holidays.

NOTE:-
 It is important to remember that 'would always' is not the same as ‘used to’ or the Past Simple.
 ‘Would’ cannot be used to speak about past facts or generalizations, only past repeated actions.
 I used to be painfully shy when I was young.
 NOT- I would always be painfully shy when I was young.
 BUT- I would always be shy when I met new people when I was a young boy.
(In this case 'would always' is describing a repeated action – meeting new people)

‘MUST’ VS ‘HAVE TO’

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 MUST
1. We use must to make a logical deduction based on evidence. It indicates that the speaker is certain about
something:-
 It has rained all day; it must be very wet outside.
 The weather is fantastic in California. It must be a lot fun to live there.

2. Must is also used to express a strong obligation.

 Students must arrive in class on time.
 You must stop when the traffic lights are red.
 I must go to bed.

 HAVE TO
1. Like ‘must’, ‘have to’ is used to express strong obligation, but when we use ‘have to’ there is usually a sense of
external obligation. Some external circumstance makes the obligation necessary.
 I have to send an urgent email.
 I have to take this book back to the library.

EXERCISE FOR PRACTICE

MODAL VERBS- 1

1. It is possible that Christopher Marlowe ..................have written plays for Shakespeare. ( might/could)
2. The daughter asked her mother if she ....................go out. ( would/might)
3. Speak slowly lest you ................awake the child. ( should/would)

4. Children ...............take tea at night. ( should/must )

5. She came here so that she ................ meet her child. ( may/might)
6. ................her soul rest in peace ! (Would/ May)
7. They ...............not read this book for this topic. ( need/dare)
8. You ..................to go to Delhi tomorrow to attend the meeting. ( will have/ should )
9. If you stayed here, you ..............not face the problem. ( would/ should)
10. ...............she had worked hard, she would have passed. ( Should/ Must)
11. He ...........be given warm welcome if he wins the tournament. ( Will/ Shall)
12. Children ...............not go to the roof at night. ( Dare/ Can)
13. She ..............read a book while watching TV during her school days. ( Would/ Could)
14. He .............pass this time as he has worked satisfactorily hard. ( May/ Can)
15. She said that she ...............prepare dinner herself. ( Will/Would)
16. John ............. to be at home. ( Used/ Ought )
17. They ...............to play cricket every day when they were in the college. ( Used/ Ought)
18. ..............you please help me lift this box ? ( Can/ Could)
19. .............that I knew her ! ( May/ Would)
20. Anyone .............write a poem on this topic. ( Can/ May )
21. They ____ be on holiday, but I'm not sure. (can, may)
22. You ____ be right, but I'd still like to check. (can, could)
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23. ____ you turn it down a bit please? (Can, May)
24. It's OK- you ____ go when you've finished. (May, might)
25. Ask any questions now as you ____ not talk during the test. (may, could)
26. You ____ smoke in the cinema. (can't, might not)
27. From the way he speaks, he ____ be from London. (Can, could)
28. It's impossible- they _____ have finished it already! (can't, mustn't)
29. The weather ____ be better tomorrow. (Can, may)
30. ____ you speak Japanese? (Can, May)
31. You _____ brush your teeth after every meal. (should, must)
32. The boys _____ train hard if they want to win the competition. ( should, must)
33. If it does not rain tomorrow, we _____ go for a picnic. (could, may)
34. _______you like to join me for a trip up Cameron Highlands ? (would, will)
35. You ______ pay $5 if you want to take part in the contest. (must, ought to)
36. _______I go to the toilet please ? (can, may)
37. Children ______ respect their elders. (should, must)
38. Mrs. Tay ______ leave for Bangkok tomorrow for a business meeting. (shall, will)
39. I _____ take a holiday after working tirelessly on this project. (need to, shall)
40. Although Daniel is an obedient child, he ____ be rebellious at times. (may, can)

MODAL VERBS- 2

1. You ............... have repeated it. It wasn't really necessary.

A) can't B) couldn't C) needn't
2. Her parents were supposed to have been back by last Monday. Frankly, they ............... a great time there.
A) would rather have B) would like to have C) must be having
3. Next week's final between these two teams............... be really fascinating.
A) should B) would like to C) had better
4. They kept repeating that they ............... follow him wherever he went, but he still wasn't so sure...
A) had better B) would C) ought to
5. She ............... read my letter by now, and I'm sure she will call us any moment.
A) should B) must have C) has to
6. It now seems we .............. a taxi. We're already here and still have half an hour to go before the performance....
A) shouldn’t hurry and take B) needn't have hurried and taken C) would like to hurry and take
7. I ............... have taken you advice and stayed away from that place.
A) must B) may C) should
8. I really ............... fishing with my friends, but unfortunately I was down with the 'flu...
A) must go B) would like to have gone C) would rather go
9. Güneş ............... returned the CD we rented last week. It was on the table, but now it's gone.
A) must have B) ought to have C) would rather have
10. You've done an excellent job on it. No one else............... it better.
A) may have done B) must have done C) could have done
11. You .............. brought them with you. Why didn't you?
A) must have B) wouldn't have C) ought to have
12. These aren't my books. I ............... someone else’s books by mistake.
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 A) had better taken B) should take C) must have taken
13. Why did you do the dishes? You really ............... have bothered.
A) mustn't B) needn't C) couldn't
14. I ............... bought them, if you had lent me some money.
A) may have B) might have C) ought to have
15. It ............... that silly friend of yours who called and didn’t leave a proper message on the answering machine.
A) should have been B) could easily be C) was recorded
16. I wish I'd never set foot there in person. I ...............her instead.
A) should have phoned B) had better phone C) will have phoned
17. If I'd gone down to Bodrum like all my friends did, I, too, ............... scuba diving lessons.
A) could have taken B) had better taken C) had taken
18. Meltem had agreed to meet us here at the entrance, but she ............... here when we arrived.
A) should have been B) wouldn't be C) wasn't
19. I'm not really sure where the cat is, but I think she ............... in the kitchen.
A) might play B) might be playing C) might have played
20. If I had left early like everyone else did, I ...............sitting here now listening to all this rubbish.
A) may not be B) wouldn't be C) was not able to be

MODAL VERBS- 1(ANSWER)

1. might 2. might 3. should 4. must 5. might 6. May 7. need 8. will have 9. would 10. Should 11. Shall 12. dare 13. Would
14. may 15. Would 16. Ought 17. Used 18. Could 19. Would 20. Can 21.may 22. Could 23. Can 24.may 25. May 26. Can’t
27.could 28. Can’t 29. May 30.can 31. should 32. must 33. could 34. Would 35. must 36. May 37. Must 38. Will 39. need
to 40. Can

MODAL VERBS- 2(ANSWER)

1: C 2: C 3: A 4: B 5: B 6: B 7: C 8: B 9: A 10: C 11: C 12: C 13: B 14: B 15: B 16: A 17: A 18: C 19: B 20: B

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