Modals and semi-modals (modal verbs) are used to talk about ability, duty, necessity, or wanting. Modal verbs behave differently than normal verbs in that they are always followed by a base verb form and do not take -s in the third person present simple. Modals take "not" to form negatives. Many modals cannot be used in all tenses. Common modals include can, could, may, might, must, should, will, shall, would, ought to, have to, and have got to. Their meanings and substitutes in different tenses are explained. Practice exercises are provided to reinforce understanding and use of modals.

1. ModalsModals
andand
Semi ModalsSemi Modals
(Modal Verbs)(Modal Verbs)

2. What are They ?What are They ?
can
could
may might
must
should
will
shall
would
ought to
have to have got to
We use Modal verbs to talk about an ability/a duty/ a need /a
necessity/wanting

3. ModalsModals

4. What is special about them?What is special about them?
Modal verbs behave very
differently from normal verbs.
Here are some important differences:

5. HowHow??
1. Modal verbs are always followed by a verb in
its base formbase form.
EXAMPLES:
He can speakspeak Chinese.
Compare: I speak Chinese.
He speaksspeaks Chinese
You may taketake the book to school.
She may taketake the book to school.
Compare: You taketake the books to school.
She takestakes the books to school.

6. HowHow??
2.Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third
person in the present simple.
EXAMPLES:
• He speaksspeaks Chinese.
• He can speakspeak Chinese. (NOT- He cans speak…)
• She eatseats a sandwich at 9:30
• She may eateat a sandwich at 9:30.

7. 3. You use "not" to make modal verbs
negative, even in Simple Present and
Simple Past.
(We don’t use the helping verb “do”)
EXAMPLES:
He should not bebe late.
They might not comecome to the party.
Compare: I don’t like to be late.
I cannot eateat any more cakes.
I don’t eateat carrot cakes.
HowHow??

8. HowHow??
4.Many modal verbs cannot be used in the
past tenses or the future tenses.
EXAMPLES:
He will can go with us. WRONG
She must studied very hard. WRONG

9. • Many modal verbs cannot be used
in all of the English tenses. That's
why we need to know their
meaning and the substitute for
these modal verbs.
Modal Verbs and theirModal Verbs and their
substitutessubstitutes

10. will- will not - wonwill- will not - won’’tt
We use this modal to speak about
future actions that we are sure/
convinced about.

11. Today is Tuesday. Tomorrow
will bewill be Wednesday.
= I know it because this is a known
fact.
We will not bewill not be in the office
tomorrow.
= I know it because we are going on
vacation.
will- will not(=wonwill- will not(=won’’tt((

12. CanCan –– CouldCould ––Be able toBe able to
We use these modals to express:
• General ability/ disability
• possibility / impossibility
• opportunity
• Permission
• request

13. CanCan
I cancan walk.
= I have the general ability to do
the action of walking.
I can’tcan’t hear you, it is too noisy.
=I don’t have the ability to hear what
you are saying because of the noise.

14. CanCan
I have some free time. I cancan help her
now.
=I have the opportunity to help her.
I can'tcan't help her now because I don't
have any time.
=I don’t have the opportunity to help her.

15. CanCan CouldCould
In the past, can changes to could.
He couldcould speak only Hebrew when
he was a kid. He couldncouldn’’tt speak to
his neighbor who speaks only English.
(General ability)
Practice time-can/could

16. maymay
=future possibility/get permission

17. • I maymay choose to wear the red dress
to the party.
=I have two dresses. There is a chance that I will
choose to wear the red dress and not the blue
one.
• Today, he maymay come on time.
=Although usually he comes late,
There is a possibility that today he will come on
time.
maymay

18. • MayMay I come to visit you at 5 o’clock?
=I want to come to you but I’m not sure that you
want me to come/that you will be at home/that
you will let me enter .
• You maymay take only one candy.
=Although there are more candies, I permit you
to take only one of them!
maymay

19. mightmight
=possibility

20. • We maymay come on time, but if you
miss the bus, we mightmight be late.
=I plan to come on time and this is why I I want
to catch the 7:15 bus.
If I catch the 7:30 bus, I can come on time or
not, I’m not sure.
• If you advertise on the Internet you
mightmight get a lot of spam to your e-
mail box.
=Although you don’t want to get spam, there’s a
risk that you will get it.
mightmight

21. ShouldShould// ought to
Should
= advice or a strong suggestion.
=logical conclusion
Ought to
= Advice
=logical conclusion

22. • If you want to be a champion you
shouldshould practice every day.
=You don’t have to practice but then, you will
not get better.
• When you make a cheese cake, you
shouldshould first check that you have
cheese.
-or else, it will not be a cheese cake

23. • You ought to revise your lessons
=It is an advise, but it is also a duty.
• He ought to be very tired. He’s been
working all day long.
=It is a logical conclusion.

24. must - mustnmust - mustn’’tt
Must – very strong advice/ obligation
Mustn't – things you're not allowed to
do.

25. • She is sick. She has high fever. She
mustmust take a pill.
= very strong advice/ obligation
• You mustnmustn’’tt ride your bike without a
helmet!
= you're not allowed to do.()

26. Semi modalsSemi modals

27. have to - has tohave to - has to
had tohad to –– will have towill have to
= it is necessary
=shows obligation and giving advice.
have to/has to –in the present/near future
had to –in the past
will have to –in the future

28. • I have tohave to clean my room.
(My mother forces me to do it.)
• She has tohas to finish the test before the
bell rings.
(After the bell rings, you can’t go on answering
the questions.)
• Gail Devers had tohad to take radiation
therapy for her decease.
(…to get well.)
• At the end of the 8th
grade we willwill
have tohave to leave our school.
(…and go to high school.)

29. dondon’’t have tot have to
doesndoesn’’t have tot have to
Don't have to / Doesn't have to
= it isn't necessary
Practice time-have/has to

30. Ought toOught to –– be supposed tobe supposed to
–– be allowed tobe allowed to
• Ought to =
• be supposed to= we expect him/her
to
• be allowed to = permission someone
will let/permit him do it.

31. • That’s a great movie. You oughtought to see it!
(or You mustmust see it.)
• The teacher is supposed tois supposed to base the
grades on the tests and assignments.
• On Friday, the students in our school don’t
have tohave to wear the school uniform. They are
allowed toallowed to wear any color they want. (They
are permitted toare permitted to / They cancan even wear a pink
shirt with yellow stripes.)

32. ))be) able tobe) able to
be able to show an ability.
-I don’t know when I will be ready. I
will be able towill be able to give you an answer
later.
-Is he able toable to do it? Yes, he knows
how to do it and has time to do it.
(=CanCan he do it?)

33. negative contractionsnegative contractions
(short form)(short form)
http://www.english-zone.com/spelling/cont-02.html

34. • Many modal verbs cannot be used
in all of the English tenses. That's
why we need to know their
meaning and the substitute for
these modal verbs.
Modal Verbs and theirModal Verbs and their
substitutessubstitutes

35. Practice timePractice time
• Exercise on modal verbs and their substitutes
• Exercise - modal verb or substitute
• Exercise on 'must not' and 'need not' (for soccer fans)
• http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-
1/exercise-english-476.php
• http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-
1/exercise-english-443.php
• http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/auxiliary-
verbs/exercises
• http://www.agendaweb.org/verb/modals.html