For EFL level B1 and above.

1. Modals:
Present with Passive
RobertWilks
English Level 8
ITESO

2. Modals
There are many. Here are several:
▪can - ability
▪should – advice
▪might, may - possibility

3. Structure in Present
modal +Verb simple form

4. Examples
▪John can swim. (ability)
▪You should go to the doctor. (advice)
▪It might rain tomorrow. (possibility)

5. Notice!
The first verb after a modal is always in
simple form! No exceptions!

6. Modals with PassiveVoice
What is passive voice?
Passive voice focuses on the object
that receives the action instead of the
subject that does the action.
It always uses a form of “be”.

7. Example of PassiveVoice
Active: Viruses cause diseases.
Passive: Diseases are caused by
viruses.
The focus changes from the thing that
does the action to the thing that
receives the action.

8. Structure of Modal with PassiveVoice
modal + be + Verb past participle

9. Examples of Modal with PassiveVoice
▪Diseases can be caused by viruses.
▪An injury should be treated immediately.
▪A person’s risk for cancer might be
affected by his genes.

10. Practice with Modals and PassiveVoice
Write the verb structures using a modal and the passive form of a verb.
Example:
The information _______________ (can, find) in scientific journals.
The information can be found in scientific journals.
1. Caffeine _____________ (can, distill) from a coffee bean solution.
2. Sources _____________ (should, provide) for all of the statistics.
3. Heart disease ____________ (might, worsen) by consuming excess
alcohol.

11. Check your answers
1. Caffeine can be distilled from a coffee bean solution.
2. Sources should be provided for all of the statistics.
3. Heart disease might be worsened by consuming excess
alcohol.