What is
special about the modal verbs?
They are
special because they behave differently from other verbs in English:
English modal verbs are used together with the
base form of another verb.
Examples:
"He
might come late."
"You may leave if you wish."
"We
must finish this on time."
English modal verbs have only one form. You
don't add "-ing", "-ed" or "-s" to them.
"We
must go now."
"They
said we could park here."
"She
can help us."
To form questions use the modal verb itself, but
change the order.
"He
can fix the car tomorrow."
"Can he fix the car tomorrow?"
"We
should start packing our things."
"Should we start packing our things?"
"She will be ten years old next
month."
"Will she be ten years old next
month?"
To form negative sentences use the modal verb
itself and add "not" or "n't" to it.
"He can run fast enough."
"He can't run fast enough."
"She could lift a feather."
"She
could not lift a feather."
"I thought he would come."
"I
thought he wouldn't come."
How and when do we use each of the English
modal verbs?
Uses of "can" (negative: cannot,
can't)
To talk about what you are able to do
"He
is so strong! He can lift that car!"
"She can't come before four
o'clock."
"Can he teach?"
To talk about a general possibility
"The weather here can get really
bad."
"These chairs can be folded."
"Such things can happen."
To say that something is allowed
"He can borrow my book if he needs
it."
"You can't smoke in here".
"You can pay with a credit card."
To make a request
(this is is an informal use, "may"
is the formal version)
"Can you help me with my homework?"
"Can you make some tea?"
"Can you come here, please?"
Uses of "could" (negative: could not,
couldn't)
As the past
form of "can"
"He said he couldn't come so early."
"I couldn't remember who he was."
"They couldn't pass the border."
To make a polite request
"Could you open the window, please?"
"Could you turn up the heat?"
"Could you remind him to call?"
To show possibility
("may" and "might" are stronger)
"She could be with her parents."
"It
could take you months to find a new place."
"He
could still win, but it's not very likely."
Uses of
"may" (negative: may not)
To show possibility (it is slightly stronger
than "might")
"What he said may be true."
"It may rain."
"You may win the race."
To request or give permission
(this is a formal use, "can" is the
informal version)
"You may sit down."
"May I speak?"
"He may not use the car."
Uses of "might" (negative: might not)
As a past
from of "may"
"The weatherman said it might rain."
"She mentioned that she might come."
"We agreed that it might be
dangerous."
To show possibility (it is slightly weaker than
"may")
"He might pass the exam, but I wouldn't
count on it."
"We might fail, but let's not think about
it."
"I might visit on Saturday."
Uses of "must" (negative: must not,
mustn't)
To show
that you have to do something, for example because it is very important or
because it is a rule
"You must stop the car when the traffic
light turns red."
"You must pay your taxes."
"She must stop drinking if she wants to
keep her job."
"I must go now, otherwise I will miss my
train."
"Must not" (or "mustn't")
is used to show you are not allowed to do something
"You mustn't steal."
"He mustn't talk to his parents like
that."
"The fruit of this bush must not be eaten
because it is toxic."
To show that something is very logical or very
likely to be true
"He left at noon, so he must be there
already."
"She is not stupid, so she must have
known what she was doing!"
"They must be really rich to live in such
a house."
Uses of "ought to" (negative: ought
not to)
To say what
is the right thing to do ("should" is the more common word)
"In her condition, she ought to quit
smoking."
"I believe you ought to apologize."
"He was watching TV when he ought to have
been studying."
Uses of "shall" (short form: 'll,
negative: shall not, shan't)
Used with "I" and "we" to
talk about the future (especially in formal British English)
"I shall leave tomorrow morning."
"I'll never forget you."
"We shall overcome."
"I shan't be late again."
Used with "I" and "we" to
ask questions or make suggestions
"Shall I close the door?"
"What shall we do tonight?"
"Let's start, shall we?"
Uses of "should" (negative: should
not, shouldn't)
To say what
is the right thing to do
"You should be helping your mother."
"If he doesn't like the job, he should
tell it to his boss."
"If you knew you were going to be so
late, you should have called."
To give advice or ask for advice
"You should try the new restaurant down
the street."
"What should I do? Should I tell him the
truth?"
"Should I try to take the exam
again?"
To show that something is likely to be true or
that it is expected
"Let's return home, dinner should be
ready by now."
"We should arrive there by twelve
o'clock."
"I should get an e-mail from him
soon."
Uses of "would" (short form: 'd,
negative: would not, wouldn't)
As the past
form of "will" in reported speech
"I will handle it myself." -->
"He said he would handle it himself."
"I won't be late." --> "He
said he wouldn't be late."
"She'll change her mind in the end."
--> "He said she'd change her mind in the end."
To talk about an imagined situation
"What would you do if you were a
millionaire?"
"I wish he'd take a break."
"I would have cleaned the house, but I
was too tired."
To make a polite request
"Would you mind closing the window?"
"Would you get me the paper,
please?"
"Would someone please answer the
phone?"
To invite someone, or offer something, politely
"Would you like a drink?"
"We are going for a walk, would you like
to join us?"
"Would you like to meet her?"
To say that you want something or want to do
something
I would
like = a polite way of saying, "I want."
I would
hate = a polite way of saying, "I don't want."
I would
rather = a polite way of saying, "I prefer."
"I would like a cup of coffee,
please."
"I would hate to miss this
opportunity."
"We'd rather study with you."
- "Would you like to come with us?"
-" I'd love to, but I can't."