Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that express ideas such as possibility, permission, ability, or necessity. There are 10 main modal verbs in English: can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, and ought to. Each modal verb has distinct uses and meanings depending on context. For example, can expresses ability or permission while could expresses possibility in the past or when making polite requests. Similarly, will expresses future events while would expresses hypothetical situations. This document provides examples and explanations of the differences between these common modal verbs.

1. GENERAL ENGLISH PERTEMUAN 14:
MAY I SPEAK TO MR. FRANK, PLEASE?
By Dean Raiyasmi

2. WHAT IS MODAL VERBS?
• It is one of the auxiliary verbs.
• Its function is vary; it can be used as a form of
politeness, offering help, or even mentioning the
particular action is a necessary.
• It is usually used in several tenses such as future and
past future tense.

3. KINDS OF MODAL VERBS
• There are 10 modal verbs usually used in the grammar.
1. Can - 6. Could
2. Will - 7. Would
3. Shall - 8. Should
4. May - 9. Might
5. Must - 10. Ought to

4. CAN VS COULD
Can
 Something is clearly impossible or possible.
 I can jump over that fence.
 To talk about someone ability or skill
 Radit can speak Cantonese.
 Ask for permission or request to do
something.
 Can I borrow your pen?
 Offering help
 Can I help you?
Could
 The action is possible, but not certain.
 I could jump over that fence (I can try but I
don’t know if could really jump over that)
 General statement of past
 Where are they? They could have got lost.
 A formal form of asking permission or request
 Could I borrow your pen? (more polite)
 Making a suggestions
 We could meet at the cafeteria tomorrow.

5. WILL VS WOULD
WILL
 To express beliefs about the present or future
 Andrea, if anyone needs me, I will be in my
office. (Present talk)
 We will have meeting today. (future talk)
 To talk about willingness of the person
 Radit will help you after he has done his job.
 To make promise or threat to the person
 I will beat you up if don’t shut your mouth.
 Request for help
 Will you help me?
WOULD
 To talk about the past event or hypothetical situation.
 I would come to your party last time If I was free.
(truth: I couldn’t come because I was busy)
 Politely request for help.
 Would you lend me your pen? (more polite)
 Asking for opinion or matters
 Would it be okay if I borrow this dress from you?
 Response of opinion
 I think it would be better if you wear that dress.

6. SHALL VS SHOULD
SHALL
 to express ideas related to specific rules or
laws.
 No one shall enter this room
 To offer someone help in the future.
 Shall I pick your sister tomorrow?
 To make promise or threat to the person
 We shall meet here tomorrow at
seven.
 I shall be the one who will slay you.
SHOULD
 to express a desire that something happened in
the past (but it did not occur) or regret.
 I should have come to your party last night
when I wasn’t busy. (truth: I regret that I did
not come because I was lazy)
 Asking for someone opinions.
 What should we do now?
 When should I come to your party?

7. MAY VS MIGHT
MAY
 to ask for permission
 May I go to the toilet, sir?
 May I borrow the book from you?
 To offer someone help.
 May I help you?
 To communicate something is permitted or not
 Sir, may not take this bus because you don’t
have enough money.
 To make suggestions
 Don’t be hasty, you may want to rethink the
answer for this test.
MIGHT
 To talk about something is used to talk about an
unreal condition or situation
 If only I studied hard last night, I might get A+
for this test.
 To make polite suggestions
 Don’t be hasty, you might want to rethink the
answer for this test.
 To make assumptions based on something
 Sir, you might/may have taken the wrong turn.
(assuming that the person is lost)
 As you all might/may know, we lost the game
(assuming that the audience knows the news)

8. MUST VS OUGHT TO
MUST
 To denote the necessity of something, to take place:
 The candidates must bring their ID proof with them.
 You must take a break from life and travel.
 To show a strong possibility, likely to be true:
 This must be your last attempt for the Civil Services
Examination.
 She must be your sister-in-law.
 To indicate prohibition:
 One must not talk in the library.
 People must not park the vehicles anywhere on the roadside.
 To comment, give feedback or reviews on something:
 You must be trying hard to get this job.
 In exclamations:
 You must be kidding!
 For emphasizing something:
 I must say, you have done a wonderful job.
OUGHT TO
 To indicate when it is the essential and right thing to do,
referred by the verb succeeding it:
 We ought to have performed our duties properly.
 The students ought to be punctual at school.
 To express a probability of something that may happen:
 The seminar ought to increase awareness.
 The results ought to be declared by tomorrow evening.
 To discuss things that are long for or ideal:
 The Government ought to make better traffic rules.
 People ought to drink eight glasses of water daily.
 To express duty or rightness, in case of judging a person’s
actions:
 She ought to follow traffic rules.

9. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION