Practice

1. PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press 2015
Grammar practice – standard Unit 2
Modal verbs
1 Choose the best answers to complete the sentences.
1 Can I / Am I able to / Did I manage to have a replacement,
please?
2 You need to can / be able to / manage to drive if you live in
the country.
3 I thought we were going to be late but we can / could /
managed to arrive on time.
4 You could have gone / were able to go / managed to go to the
supermarket for me if you weren’t busy.
5 Could I have / Could I / Am I able to borrow your car at the
weekend?
6 I didn’t manage to / couldn’t / can’t swim until I was 15.
2 Complete the text with the correct forms of must, should,
have to and need to.
I hate being told what to do. Now that we 1
think about climate change, I’m constantly being told
that I 2 do this or I 3 do that.
I know that we 4 do all these things but I
don’t want to 5 listen to it all the time.
I 6 get annoyed by people saying,‘You
7 waste water,’or‘You 8
recycle,’but I do. Remember, you 9 tell me
because I already know! I 10 hear it in order
to do it.
3 Rewrite the sentences using the words in brackets.
1 It’s possible that climate change will be a global disaster.
(might)
2 There was the possibility of preventing global warming if
we had acted sooner. (could have)
3 Maybe the planet is already permanently damaged. (might
have)
4 Our parents probably didn’t know anything about the
problem 50 years ago. (couldn’t have)
5 We should stop burning fossil fuels. (can’t continue)
6 Perhaps renewable energy will be the answer to our
pollution problems. (may)
7 There’s no need to worry about the issue. (mustn’t)
8 I’m sure the problem has got worse in the last 20 years.
(must have)
4 Correct the underlined mistakes in the sentences.
1 Sam mustn’t be 16 already – don’t they grow up quickly?
2 I didn’t know! You could told me!
3 We needn’t get the chance to go on holiday this year as we
don’t have much money.
4 Thank you! I couldn’t have did it without you.
5 Jane can have finished her exams – I saw her at a party on
Wednesday.
5 Match the sentences with the meanings in the box.
ability advice certainty impossibility no obligation
no permission obligation obligation not to do
permission possibility
1 We must reduce greenhouse gases.
2 It might work; but then again it might not.
3 You should talk to him and tell him how you feel.
4 It couldn’t have been John because he’s in Germany.
5 You mustn’t forget what I told you.
6 George must have arrived by now – it’s 5 pm.
7 The police stopped us – we couldn’t go any closer.
8 I can play the piano and the guitar – but not at the same
time!
9 Could I look at your newspaper, please?
10 You don’t have to finish that until next month.
6 Complete the text with the words from the box.
be able to can don’t need to have to is able to
might not must mustn’t need to shouldn’t
We 1 worry too much about climate
change. That doesn’t mean that we 2 do
everything we 3 to avoid it, but you
4 worry about it. Worry is an emotion
which 5 block our ability to think, and we
6 think in order to consciously address the
problem. It 7 seem logical at first but you
8 actively think in order to 9
save energy, recycle and do all the things which we
10 do as individuals to help reduce the
effects of climate change.