This document defines and provides examples of modal verbs in English. Modal verbs are special verbs that indicate modality and behave irregularly through lack of changes in form for tense and lack of auxiliary verbs in questions and negatives. The main modal verbs are can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, have to, and ought to. Each modal verb has specific meanings and uses for expressing ideas like permission, certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, and ability. Examples are provided to illustrate the affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentence structures for modal verbs as well as their various meanings and uses.

1. Modal Verb

2. Meaning
• A modal verb is a type of verb which is special verbs
that behave irregularly in English and used to indicate
modality

3. Characteristics
• Never change form. There is no s in singular
• There is no do/does in question.
• There is no don’t/doesn’t in negative
• Always followed by an infinitive without "to"
• Used with other verbs to express various things like
permission, certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation,
necessity, ability

4. Affirmative Sentences
Subject + Modal Verb + Verb Infinitive

5. Negative Sentences
Subject + Modal Verb + not + Verb Infinitive

6. Interrogative sentences
Modal Verb + Subject + Verb Infinitive

7. List
• Can
• Could
• Will
• Would
• Shall
• Should
• May
• Might
• Must
• Have to
• Ought to

8. Can
1.Use in Ability or things that you can't do it
–I can drive a car.
–She can type 60 words per minutes.
–I can’t drive a car.
–She can’t type 60 words per minutes.
2.Use in Permission
–Can I enter the room?
–Yes, you can.
3.Use in Possibility
–She can finish her work by tomorrow.

9. Could
1. Use to be can Past Tense
–When I was young , I could run fast.
–I couldn’t understand your yesterday explanation.
2.Use In A polite request (Present Simple )
–Could I borrow your pen?
–Could you tell me the time to go?
3. Could + have + past participle
Use in A stunt or skill that has not been used or Inoperative
–They could have started working two hours ago.
–I could have finished it last year.

10. Will
• will:
-to talk about the future
-to talk about what people want willing to do or plan
-to make promises and offers
-used to express determination, insistence, or persistence

11. Example
• She will be late for English class.
• I will give you back some money after I found my wallet.
• Tomorrow I won’t come to school.
• Will you lend me a pencil?
• When will she arrive the school?

12. Would
• would is the past tense form of will. It is used:
-to talk about the past.
-to talk about hypotheses
-to express a wish or desire
-for politeness

13. Example
• If Lookpla was hippo, she would eat watermelon.
• I would like to have an iPhone 10.
• Dad wouldn’t lend me some money.
• Would you like to come to school tomorrow?
• Where would you like to go?

14. Past Tense
Subject + Would + Have + Past Participle
Example: I would have slept, but I didn’t
take a bath.

15. shall

16. Mainly used in American English to ask questions
politely (it has more usages in British English). For the
future tense, will is more frequently used in American
English than shall.
1. Shall expresses certain laws and rules
Example:
You shall obey the rules.
Students shall not enter here.
There shall be no food and drink on the premises.

17. c) Future expression and
promises
Example:
I shall be here at 7 tomorrow.
a) We use shall for offers
Examples:
Shall I pick you up from
airport?
Shall we dance?
2. Something take place or exist in the future
b) Suggestion
Examples:
Shall I open the window?
What time shall we meet?

18. Should

19. "Should" is most commonly used to make
recommendations or give advice. It can also be used to express
obligation as well as expectation.
Use ‘should’ in present tense :
Structure : Subject + should/shouldn’t + V. 1
Example:
Sarah shouldn't smoke so much. It's not good for her health.
Use ‘should’ in past tense :
Structure: Subject +Should/shouldn’t + have + V.3
Example:
Frank should have eaten low-fat foods. That might have
prevented his heart attack.

20. Use ‘should’ in future tense :
Structure : Subject + should/shouldn’t + V.1
Example :
Susan should be in New York by next week. Her new job
starts on Monday.

21. May/Might

22. • It’s a Helping Verb that use for present about
POSSIBILITY that use in Future or Present.
• Both of words are nothing different in meaning. So that
may or might therefore, be used to mean "probably" not
wrong too.
• Might use in Past Tense when talking about an event that
happened in the past.

23. May
• May use in Present Tense when talking about a current
situation.
• We use 'may' to suggest something is possible.
It may rain later today.
Punch may come with us.

24. Might
• Might use in Past Tense when talking about an event that
happened in the past.
• We use 'might' to suggest a small possibility of something
She might be at home by now but it's not
sure at all.
I might see you tomorrow.

25. Must
• used to express certainty.
• used to express necessity or strong recommendation.
• for rule

26. Example
• You’re student, you must wear the uniform.
• That must not be Lookpla and Namtan.
• Must you leave right now?

27. Past Tense
Subject + Must + Have + Past Participle
Example: I must have worn correct socks.

28. Have to

29. "Have to" is used to express certainty, necessity, and
obligation.
Structure : Subject + auxiliary verb + have + to-
infinitive
Use ‘Have to’ in present tense :
Example :
She doesn't have to read "Grapes of Wrath." It's optional
reading for extra credit

30. Use ‘Have to’ in past tense :
Example :
That has to have been the right restaurant. There were no
other restaurants on the street.
Use ‘Have to’ in future tense :
Example :
Mind will have to finish the other books before the final
exam.

31. Ought to

32. • When using ought to which means "something you
should do" because it's the rule and it shows "should be in
the future“
• Which shows that the event didn't really happened. The
event that happened was opposite of what has been told
For example: You should have come to the party yesterday.
• Do not do anything in the past but you do it already.
For example: The party was boring. I shouldn’t have gone
there.
Ought to+have+past
participle

33. • Do not do anything in the past but you do it already.
For example: The party was boring. I oughtn’t have gone
there.
• When we use in negative sentence you must put not in the
back of ought
For example: We oughtn't to go to the cinema tonight.
Ought to+have+past
participle