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Tips on Modal Verb
The document provides a comprehensive overview of modal verbs, including their definitions and rules for usage. Twelve tips are outlined, covering modals like can, could, will, and must, along with practical examples for each. Additionally, it highlights common errors related to modal verbs and offers corrections.
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Tips on Modal Verb
- 1. 12 TIPS onMODAL VERB Grammar Rules and Tips for using Modal Verb
- 2. Modal Verb Modals aretype of Auxiliary verbs that expresses the mood or attitude of the speaker and they give additional information about the function of the main verb. The modal verbs are: can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought to, dare and need to. RULES: 1. Are followed directly by bare infinitive or the infinitive of another verb (without 'to’). 2. Don’t take non-finite forms (to can, musting) 3. Form negative directly (can't, mustn't). 4. Form inversion/interrogation without ‘DO’ (can I? must I?). 5. Don’t take -s form for third-person singular (cans, musts). 6. No co-occurrence ( She may will come tomorrow.)
- 3. Tips on usingModal Verbs
- 4. Tip#1: Can Used toexpress ability or opportunity, to request or offer permission, and to show possibility or impossibility. Ability: I can speak English Request: Can you please lend me a pen? Permission/ Offer: Can I leave now? (seeking Permission) / Can I help you? (Offer) Order/Prohibition: You can leave now. (Order or giving Permission) / You can’t enter the room now. (Prohibition) Possibility: Smoking can cause cancer.
- 5. Tip#2: Could Used toexpress possibility or past ability as well as to make suggestions and requests. Possibility (followed by ‘be’): This news could be true. Request : Could you tell me the way to airport please? Permission: Could I use your phone? Past Ability (Could + have – indicates the action did not take place in the past): You could have have drowned in the sea. (but you didn’t drown) Conditional of ‘Can’: If I had more time, I could travel around the world.
- 6. Tip#3: Will Used tomake predictions and with promises or voluntary actions that take place in the future. Future Tense Auxiliary (followed by ‘be’): Tomorrow I will be in Chennai. Invitation/Offers : Will you like to join us for coffee? Promise: I will call you everyday. Prediction: He thinks it will rain tomorrow. Belief (Will + have to) We will have to take the train as we are running 15 minutes late. Conditionals: (will with ‘If’ and Won’t with ‘Unless’) I’ll give her a call if I can find her number.
- 7. Tip#4: Would Used toexpress habit, wish and create the past form of the modal verb "will” and conditional tense. Polite Request Would you please help me open the door? Wish : I would like eat rice for dinner. Past of ‘Will’: I knew that she would be very successful in her career. Habit: They would always have picnics at the beach. Conditionals: (would have in past conditionals to talk about something that did not happen) He would have been very angry if he had seen you.
- 8. Tip#5: Shall Used toindicate future action or suggestion and is most commonly used in sentences with "I" or "we“. Future Action: I shall be there by 8:00. Suggestion : Shall we move into the living room? Promising/Volunteering: I shall make the travel arrangements. Predestination: Man shall explore the distant regions of the universe.
- 9. Tip#6: Should Used tomake recommendations, give advice, express obligation as well as expectation. Duty/Obligation: We should return the books before the library closes. Recommendation : People with high cholesterol should eat low-fat foods. Expectation: Sunil should be in New Delhi by now. Past Obligation (Should + have): You should have stood by your brother during his difficult times. Deduction: Jerome has practiced all week. He should be ready for his match today.
- 10. Tip#7: May Used toexpress possibility, give or seek permission in present or future. Possibility: The chairman may come to visit our office tomorrow. Wish/Prayer: May God bless you! Purpose: She works hard so that she may pass. Seek Permission: May I make a phone call? Give Permission: You may make a phone call.
- 11. Tip#8: Might Used toexpress possibility and is also often used in conditional sentences. Possibility: I might see you tomorrow. Remote or Slight Possibility: We might win a lottery but I doubt it. Conditional of ‘May’: If I entered the contest, I might actually win. Suggestion: You might try the cheesecake.
- 12. Tip#9: Must Used toexpress certainty, necessity , obligation, prohibition or strong recommendation. Necessity/ Obligation: You must follow the instructions. Strong Possibility: You haven’t eaten all day. You must be hungry. Determination: I must help him. Deduction: He owns a big house. He must be rich. Certainty: This must be the right address!
- 13. Tip#10: Ought To Usedto express correct action and strong sense of moral duty, advice, recommendations, assumption or expectation Moral Duty/ Obligation: You ought to to serve your motherland. Advice/Recommendation: You ought to stop smoking. Probability: This gold price ought to rise in value. Expectation/Deserve: Rahul ought to get the promotion.
- 14. Tip#11: Need &Need Not Used commonly in questions and negatives to express necessity. Negative: He need not wait any longer. Questions (usually used in questions without ‘not’): Need he wait any longer? No, he need not. (‘need not’ is used when the answer is negative) Yes, he need must. (‘must’ is used when the answer is affirmative) With Minimizing Adverbs( hardly, only, barely): He need only say what he wants and it will be granted. Need Not + have: (when an action was not necessary but was performed in past) He need not have lost his temper.
- 15. Tip#12: Dare &Dare Not Used commonly in questions and negatives to express shock or outrage Negative: He dare not/daren’t do such a thing. Questions (usually used in questions without ‘not’): How dare you contradict me? Perhaps/Possibility: I dare say he will agree to our proposal. Note: (When Dare is used as auxiliary verb, ‘-s’ is not taken in the third person singular.) He dares not abuse his rivals.
- 16.
- 17. Spot the Error Shecans help you this afternoon. I can be able to come with you for the trip next week. Yesterday, I can lift the couch by myself. I think he could not come with us to the party. You won’t get in if you not have a ticket.
- 18. She cans helpyou this afternoon. She can help you this afternoon. I can be able to come with you for the trip next week. I will (I’ll) be able to come with you for the trip next week. Yesterday, I can lift the couch by myself. Yesterday, I was able to lift the couch by myself. I think he could not come with us to the party. I think he might not come with us to the party. You won’t get in if you not have a ticket. You won’t get in unless you have a ticket. Spot the Error
- 19. Spot the Error IfI had the money I will buy a new car. Peter will not eat broccoli when he was a kid. He needs not wait here. We will call him once the doctor is ready. Could we begin the meeting now? Might you live long!
- 20. If I hadthe money I will buy a new car. If I had the money I'd(would) buy a new car. Peter will not eat broccoli when he was a kid. Peter wouldn’t eat broccoli when he was a kid. He needs not wait here. We will call him once the doctor is ready. He need not wait here. We will call him once the doctor is ready. Could we begin the meeting now? Shall we begin the meeting now? Might you live long! May you live long! Spot the Error
- 21. Spot the Error Juliesaid she may come for dinner. Did I not tell you that I shall qualify? You might not trespass. She ought to not take such risks while skiing. Need not I come again?
- 22. Julie said shemay come for dinner. Julie said she might come for dinner. Did I not tell you that I shall qualify? Did I not tell you that I would qualify? You might not trespass. You must not trespass. She ought to not take such risks while skiing. She ought not take such risks while skiing. Need not I come again? Need I come again? Spot the Error
- 23. He dares notaccept the challenge. Any child will grow up to become Prime Minister of the country. Do I help you? I willing make dinner tonight. I shall inviting them. Spot the Error
- 24. He dares notaccept the challenge. He dare not accept the challenge. Any child will grow up to become Prime Minister of the country. Any child can grow up to become Prime Minister of the country. Do I help you? Shall I help you? I willing make dinner tonight. I will make dinner tonight/ I will be making dinner tonight. I shall inviting them. I shall invite them. Spot the Error
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Editor's Notes
- #2 VO: 10 Tips on using adverbs
- #4 VO:
- #17 VO: Each of the following sentences will contain a mistake in the usage of Present Tense.
- #18 VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
- #19 VO: The sentence She cans help you this afternoon- is wrong because modal verbs don’t take -s form for third-person singular. So the correct answer is She can help you this afternoon. I can be able to come with you for the trip next week- is incorrect because modal verbs Can and Could do not take an infinitive (to verb) and do not take the future auxiliary will. So the correct answer is I will (I’ll) be able to come with you for the trip next week. Yesterday, I can lift the couch by myself- is wrong because "Can" is not valid for past tense. So the correct answer is either Yesterday, I was able to lift the couch by myself. OR Yesterday, I couldn't lift the couch by myself. The sentence I think he could not come with us to the party-- is wrong because Could not" suggests that it is impossible for something to happen whereas "Might not" suggests you do not know if something happens. So the correct answer is I think he might not come with us to the party. You won’t get in if you not have a ticket-- this sentence is wrong because in negative conditionals with Will we use unless in place ‘if not’. So the correct answer is You won’t get in unless you have a ticket.
- #20 VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
- #21 VO: The sentence If I had the money I will buy a new car– is wrong because in conditionals with words like if and what if the main verb is usually in the past tense and here also it is talking about a possibility in past time. So the correct answer is If I had the money I'd(would) buy a new car. Peter will not eat broccoli when he was a kid– is incorrect because it indicates a Habitual Past Action so in place of Will, we use Would. And the correct answer is Peter wouldn’t eat broccoli when he was a kid. The sentence He needs not wait here. We will call him once the doctor is ready.– is incorrect because the modal ‘need’ is always conjugated as ‘need’ even for third person singular. So the correct answer is He need not wait here. We will call him once the doctor is ready. Could we begin the meeting now?– is incorrect because the word ‘Now’ indicates it is being said in reference to present tense so ‘could’ is replaced by ‘shall’. And the correct answer is Shall we begin the meeting now? The sentence Might you live long! Is incorrect because It is a wish or prayer for a person’s well being in terms of present and future times, so we will use ‘may’ in place of ‘might’. The correct answer is May you live long!
- #22 VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
- #23 VO: the sentence Julie said she may come for dinner is not correct because The reporting verb ‘say’ is in past tense here, i.e, ‘said’. So we will use Might in place of may. The correct answer is Julie said she might come for dinner. Did I not tell you that I shall qualify? Is incorrect because the speaker has expressed certainty for qualification in the past and therefore ‘would’ is the apt choice. The correct answer is Did I not tell you that I would qualify? the sentence You might not trespass. is incorrect because "Must not" suggests that you are prohibited from doing something where as “might not” suggests it is up to the desire of the speaker. So the correct answer is You must not trespass. She ought to not take such risks while skiing-- is wrong because "ought to" loses the "to" in the negative. So, instead of "ought not to," we say "ought not.“ The correct answer is She ought not take such risks while skiing. The sentence Need not I come again? Is wrong because Need is usually used in questions without ‘not’. So, the correct answer is Need I come again?
- #24 VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
- #25 VO: the sentence He dares not accept the challenge– is incorrect because When used as auxiliary verb, need and dare doesn’t change its form whatever be the number and person of its subject. So ‘-s’ is not taken in the third person singular. The correct answer is He dare not accept the challenge. Any child will grow up to become Prime Minister of the country-- is wrong. The correct answer is Any child can grow up to become Prime Minister of the country. The sentence Do I help you? is wrong because ‘shall’ is the apt word here. The correct answer is Shall I help you? I willing make dinner tonight--is incorrect because modal verbs don’t take non-finite forms--in this case, a present continuous form such as ‘willing’ is incorrect. So the correct answer is I will make dinner tonight OR I will be making dinner tonight. The sentence I shall inviting them--is incorrect because modal verbs are followed directly by the bare infinitive (without 'to'). So the correct answer is I shall invite them.